Viall Files Episode 153: Reality Check With Reality Steve 

This was yikes... not a good look on Nick

I really hope that Nick and his producer take these comments seriously and don't dismiss them as just reality Steve fans or anything like that. I listen to this podcast a lot and am generally a fan but I thought their treatment of Steve here was completely unprofessional and I really felt for Steve. I would be super interested to see a follow up video once they have read the comments and seen the reaction to hear if they would do anything differently in future. Also side note but someone please tell the producer that saying "no offense" before saying something offensive does not negate the offensive thing you just said 😂

Word of advice to Nick, don’t invite a guest on if you aren’t going to treat them with any respect.

Anyways this was awful from nick and whatever that new producers name is 🙄 it felt like the cool kids at school laughing and sneering at the geek or sumn

Could not watch the whole thing bc it was very cringey-his fawning producer added an extra level ickness to the interview. Got tired with Nick’s whininess and immaturity. Nick is obviously still very hurt & upset with Steve. I think Nick was trying to portray Steve (and trust me, I think he is a jerk at times) as a villain but ended up making himself look like a villain. So disappointed in Nick and lost some respect for him :(

Ali Fedotowsky literally once admitted in an interview that when she was a contestant, one day a producer went up to the girls and said “if we can film y’all talking about how much you love Jake, we’ll let you listen to 1 song.” She went on to be a beloved lead yet could still admit that there was clear producer manipulation that took advantage of the girls going stir crazy wanting to listen to music. So nick, stop interrupting your guests and trying to make them look bad just because you’re salty that you’ve been the target in the past. Also stop providing your entire opinion and then saying “you agree right” and not giving him a chance to give his opinion. This episode was just proof that nick can’t take the heat that the dishes out to newer contestants all the time. Also is nick forgetting that reality Steve is essentially a gossip website the same way that forums and reddit are gossip sites too. This is what they do. Nick needs to grow thicker skin good god. This really made me miss the old producer. Nick clearly surrounds himself with people who just agree with him as evidenced by her ganging up on Steve with him so many times. At least Steve is admitting to making mistakes while nick and his producer are just acting like children who are trying to prove that they’re just better than him.

I can’t believe Nick posted this on his own channel. This is embarrassing for him and his producer.

I've listened to almost all of your podcasts since you started your podcast. This is the first time I've had to stop listening part way through because it felt like I was listening to you attack someone for having a different perspective. I also hate that I'm even commenting on this but it really didn't make me feel good listening to it, as most of your other podcasts do. There were things you stated as if they were facts when they were simply your experience. Other contestants could possibly have different experiences that you may not be privy to. For example, Kaitlyn Bristowe (who was top 4 and the Bachelorette) has shared on her podcast or another podcast that during an ITM she was told by producers she couldn't leave until she stated she was in love with Chris Soules. After 6 hours she gave up and told them what they wanted to hear because she wanted to be done for the day. Producers had told her they will hold out until she says it. I dont know about you, but her story sounded pretty valid. The reason why I've enjoyed your podcast in the past is that you are usually open to different perspectives. This was far from it.

I listened to the whole podcast, bur after the 1h mark, Nick made it pretty clear that he only had RS on the podcast to discredit and attack him, with absolutely no nuance or no desire to understand where RS is coming from / what his job is about. As in a LOT, if not all, of the conversations Nick has about the show, he is completely blinded by (A) his own personal feelings about his time on the show and his edit and (B), in this particular case, about the reporting RS did on him. It’s clear that resentment is clouding his judgement, especially in this podcast. Nick constantly attacks RS sources, without knowing who all of them are, by claiming they’re not reliable when they say the producers are bad people because HE has had no such experience with them. However, it is not because HE’s had it good on the show that it holds true for everyone. He did 3-4 seasons of the show, of course he was treated well, ABC knew he was giving them good ratings. That is not the case for everyone, especially the « vilains », like Olivia (which they talked briefly about at the beginning). To have Nick say that RS destroys lives and that he participates as much as the show to the « hate » that the contestants get is interesting, but not very nuanced. Like RS pointed out, it is ABC and the producers that control what we see in the first place, and we are naturally only reacting to what we are ALLOWED to see. Nick aknowledges it briefly and then continues to put the blame on the public and RS. Nick can blame the public, the media and RS all he wants, but RS has actually made people realize that what they see has been produced and edited, and that definitely has helped more contestants than not, including Nick, who himself loves to complain about his edit on his two Bachelorette seasons, how ironic.

Nick, I think you actually ended up doing what you weren't trying to do which was helping Steve gain more followers and respect. This entire "interview" sounded like a pissed off venting session on your end. It is almost laughable to call this an interview. I mean the amount of disgrace and how you handled this was horrible. I have been following both you and Steve for a long time and haven't always agreed with how spoilers have been handled, but my gosh this is was brutal. I hope you are reading these responses on here AND twitter and are wanting to grow, learn, and humble yourself out a little more. You really need to get off your high horse.

Cringe worthy. Realty Steve handled Nick’s constant interrupting and talking over him and anger very well.

Nick clearly has unresolved pain and hurt. This conversation should’ve been in private. No interview to see here.

I don't normally comment anything negative but Nick is incredibly condescending in this "interview". Did not appreciate this podcast at all. Why invite Reality Steve on if you're just going to talk over him and be ridiculously patronising?!

Horrible interview , horrible hosting. Nick, stop interrupting all the time it’s so frustrating and painful to listen to. This just made me like Steve more and nick less.

And why do u always ask leading questions. You’ll give your opinion then sat “Do u agree that..” “can u appreciate that” u want ppl to agree w u so bad bc u feel ur opinion is the best

Why invite someone on your podcast when you can’t treat him with respect? Nick was so rude & childish.

You kinda sounded like you didn’t want to hear anything Steve said. Like u blame everything bad from this franchise on him lol it was weird but I understand ur perspective to a degree but u had no one to discount yours like you did his also u might need to accept the fact that Steve might be a trigger for u and shouldn’t have other interactions. Steve has fans bc he has for the most part consistently delivered true facts. U can admit that’s impressive.

Nick doesn't do a good job of interviewing people he doesn't agree with. Theres a few people in the past besides Steve that he has acted like this. Grow up Nick! I've been a fan for so long but you're acting like a kid when you interview people you don't agree with. Its not fun to watch. So maybe just don't have people with a difference of opinion.

I tuned in to watch a conversation between two adults, and I got one temper tantrum by Nick for 90% of the time instead. This entire thing is Nick venting, and cutting Steve off. I don’t think Steve had the chance to fully answer a single question the whole “interview” without Nick cutting him off. And the sad thing is that this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this from Nick. He doesn’t care that his interviews can be cringeworthy because here we are commenting and giving him views anyways and the traffic he’s driving is all that matters, not the actual opinion of his viewers. I made it halfway through. I’m out.

“I was a human for a minute” so rude! Why have him over as a guest to treat him that way? So disrespectful

I don’t like you here. I don’t know what you were trying to prove here Nick but it was a very immature conversion on your part. RS has a job, whether you like it or not and you come off very self righteous. Very disrespectful to have someone on your podcast to attack him. At least RS was a gracious. Based off this interview I don’t think he would have treated you the way you treated him on his podcast. Maybe you could have had a private conversation with him.

Nick gaslighting how other people feel about the producers just because he’s friends with some of them....... way to discredit the feelings of many people before and after you.

This was an awful interview- nick constantly interrupted Steve and used this as a therapy session to again discuss his heart breaks on bachelor. Get over it and stop bringing your emotions into your interviews. Oh and learn to listen - interruptions are so annoying not only for Steve but for your listeners that actually want to Hear Steve speak .... smh

I understand both sides but RS has a job and he’s good at it. It’s not his fault for “giving the people what they want”. There’s an audience of those interested in the show, and he can’t be blamed for what he shares when there is such a big demand for it.

Just because someone doesn’t have the same experience as you on the bachelor doesn’t make their experience not valid/real. Smh disappointed.

This episode made me like reality Steve way more and Nick way less. Nick don’t invite someone on if your going to have a bad attitude not let them speak and just force them to agree with you...

Nick is getting a lot of heat for this, but honestly the worse offender here is his producer. I usually just lurk rarely comment on these types of things because I also work in the industry, but her behavior is shocking here, especially given that the hill she decides to die on is that she's been a producer for 10+ years and nothing Steve says towards producers is fair. I was in such disbelief that I looked her up -- her background is mostly talent producing and as a producer of live air events, which as somebody who has produced in live, docudrama reality, and scripted...live events are a COMPLETELY different ballgame than producing the type of unscripted television which creates shows like The Bachelor. Unfortunately I think her inexperience with this type of work showed here, because there were countless times a more experienced narrative producer could have steered or reframed these questions in a more constructive way. Instead she seemed content to just join in and dig at Steve -- whether it be because she didn't know how to push this dialogue forward or just didn't care to, either way it was incredibly unprofessional. Without that, I really don't think this would have come off as poorly as it did to so many people because the 2-on-1 atmosphere does make this look more like an ambush than an interview.

I was cringing the entire time I listened to this. Reality Steve was such a gracious guest, Nick you just kept embarrassing yourself. You came off so defensive and butt hurt. Every time you asked him a question you’d cut him off and talk over him if he tried to answer it in a way that didn’t 100% agree with you. I miss when Richelle would call you out for your immature behavior because it was usually exactly what the audience was thinking. I normally enjoy listening to your podcasts but god damn this was painful.

Nick’s attitude during this made the entire podcast cringe to listen to

Steve stays quiet and let’s Nick speak ,then when he wants to speak Nick interrupts EVERY time with his attacks. Nick going off on your guest like that is not a good look.The I am right you are wrong attitude/ perception reminded me of how a narcissistic person would act..Check yourself Nick ,learn and grow .You acted like an immature child having a fit.

I’m honestly so disappointed in the episode. I’m an avid listener and love this podcast, but Nick was super annoying here. He refuses to even see RS’s side and the side, and the contestants, he is so brainwashed into kissing producers asses that he refuses to acknowledge that they do not have contestants best interests at heart. He sounds super privileged here, like those white people who don’t believe in the existence of privilege and don’t believe people are oppressed. Nick will never talk badly of producers because he is “friends” with those people in power. I remember when Peter got chosen over Mike, Nick was in full support of producers decision, and not willing to acknowledge their lack of care towards racial diversity.

Nick get your damn ego in check. This was embarrassing.

Nick 100% is driven here by personal motives, and I don't think he has a clue. Imo podcasts should be objective interviews, and this is far from it. I wish RS had more chance to speak, it felt like Nick could have done this podcast without RS even being there. RS is far from perfect, but it's ironic for someone to complain this much who runs his mouth about contestants. Nick has no perspective here. You can't pass judgement about every cast *cough cough* madi, and then get mad someone does the same thing. I know RS and Nick do different things, but come on it's not that different. It feels like Nick is on a high horse here, when he gossips plenty about the cast. Disappointed by this "interview".

Omg 15 mins in Nick your bad attitude is just screaming through my screen. I have gained respect for Reality Steve. Atrocious interview skills. Why did you call Reality Steve if you are still smarting and just distraught about Reality Steve ! You cut him off continuously !!! Terribly disappointed ... I really thought you were better than this because you consistently tell people look for and gain a new perspective. You sounded like an upset toddler throughout this process. Did not even allow RS to finish a single sentence. 15 mins is enough for me. Good night

Props to Reality Steve for taking all that crap from Nick. Nick.. get over it! Steve.. keep up the good work! It’s all Hollywood baby and y’all signed up for.. and make a lot of money off this! Nick.. if you can’t take the heat I’m sure software sales is always still an option;)

I was really looking forward to this and ended up gaining so much respect for RS while losing any I had for Nick. Why have a guest on your podcast if all you're going to do is whine about their job and cannot be objective? Just makes you look like an immature and condescending 40-year old. Props to Steve for taking the high road and showing us what a professional interview should look like.

Also Krissy was really rude. I mostly enjoy this podcast but not a fan of this particular episode.

This producer is not it. Podcast has unfortunately went down hill so much since Rochelle leaving.

Honestly, im not a person to comment on everything . Watched almost all your podcast, and im a fan. However, Nick .. This was bad bad man...you need to improve it .. 1- You might be biased about your the bachelor show and producers , cause you ended up good and having a job out of it 2- people know you are a bit filtered about what you can say, but this was blind loyalty ( way far from your character) 3- people might have different experience than you 4- you were not open to discuss anything and blaming RS constantly ( nothing educational about this) 5- Reality steve were kinda honest about stuff and to be honest Editors are the bullies and attracting bullies to these people ( accept it , your audience and bachelor audience are not stupid) 6- RS is not ABC to be blamed for the same amount of bullying .. are you kidding me? How can you compare a website which can be accessible for people who choose to check it themselves to a national television??????...

Couldn't even finish this. I have a headache now.

Nick mocking him too, you’re the bully here Nick.

I stopped the podcast halfway through to go follow RS. Never really cared for him but the way he handled this "interview" gave me a lot of respect for him. He isn't perfect but at least he owns up to his mistakes and learns from them (like the Jenna thing).... unlike Nick who acts like he's never made an error in his life and crucifies RS for an hour straight. How bout a "Reality Check" on yourself, Nick?

You keeps saying that the audience is as gilty as the show, i think the difference is that we react and comment about something we are seeing and we think is the truth, they on the other hand khow the actual truth and decide to change it to make someone looks worst just to make the show more interesting, and the worst part, then act surprised when people critized someone they had make look like a crazy person...

This is so wack and unprofessional you should really take this down

Nick, you literally have a podcast where you share your opinions on other cast members of Bachelor nation. How is that any different from what reality Steve does? Way to blame the exact audience who listens to your podcast!

I am a long time Viall Files listener and this was very disappointing. I understand that not every episode is going to be perceived as a “win” by all viewers but this was rather tasteless IN MY OPINION. My belief is that when you invite someone to have open discourse you treat them with respect regardless of your differences. Reality Steve came on Nick’s show and opened himself up to multiple instances of criticism and unkind gestures. He handled himself with the utmost decency and I couldn’t have been more impressed; And with all due respect, Nick may need to find another producer. A producer with good intentions for the show. One who doesn’t join in on bullying and knows how to REDIRECT a conversation in a positive manner. It really felt like Nick and Krissy thought we would collectively join in on the bullying and disrespect on their part because we are fans of his. Even as Viall Files fan i can’t join in something I don’t believe in. It was wrong to keep constantly interrupting Reality Steve in order to show dominance and disdain towards him. Honestly... a lot of this falls on producer Krissy. This producer FAILED at her job. It’s time for re-evaluation.

Nick, you act like you care about women's rights but you totally discredited what happened to Jenna and several other women from the franchise. Not everyone had the same experience as you with the producers.

Nick the self-proclaimed WOKE person does it again, and again, and again. Telling everyone how to learn and grow while his podcasts are still a constant narcissistic diatribe. You can almost always hear him interrupt and talk over his guests, then go on and on about himself. He rarely completes a thought/sentence before starting a new one and then keeps repeating this manner of speech to the point of rambling. I only come here for bachelor related content but this podcast with RS was a personal vendetta which made Nick look SMALL. Maybe you should follow some of your own advice, Nick.

Why did nick have RS in just to talk over him and act like his opinion/experience is worth more than ricks ?????

Nick you wanna khow why steve didnt like you? Because the producers you are defending make you look like the villain for two seasons..😂🤣😘

Terrible interview from Nick and incredibly biased...

I was really excited about this but if you only wanted to talk about how of a bad person he is without listening to his opinion you shouldnt have invited him. i think you have to accept that your point of view is only your opinion and your personal experience and not everyones reality, for example did you really say that everyone that has spoke up about a bad experience on the show is because they were angry for going home early....i mean...

I normally don't comment but can't help to point out, as everyone else has, how horrible this interview was. I'm fans of both Nick and Steve, but come on Nick wasn't listening at all

Nick,sweetie,you need to let others talk and finish their thoughts. Please.

Nick and his produce were so rude to Steve, it was so hard to watch. Here to hoping you both can be a little nicer to guest that you disagree with next time.

This was terrible. Nick, this isn’t how people should treat people period, let alone a podcast guest. Showing grace, understanding and LISTENING will carry a conversation way further. Thank goodness this was only about the Bachelor, I hope you approach future life topics with the grace, understanding and listening we needed here. I’m a regular listener, but this was very disappointing.

I got to the 48-minute mark and could not watch this anymore. Eeeeeeek this was painful to watch. I hope Nick addresses these comments on the next podcast, but knowing him, he will probably try to deflect blame and refuse to acknowledge his obvious faults.

This probably should've been a private conversation rather than a public podcast. I'm not sure how RS feels after this, but it was big of him to go on your podcast in the first place and it was unfair of you to use this as an opportunity to discredit and go at him. You could've been way more respectful IMO and not backed him into a corner. RS was honest and understanding of your points and you treated him the exact opposite as if he needs to learn a lesson. Your producer was super rude too.

"What has this franchise ever done to Steve, other than make him money?" Uhhhh...they sued him twice and scare off potential podcast guests. Good for Steve being classy about that attack fest. Nick barely listened, and clearly still has some baggage he's working through...

I love Steve he is a great interviewer and podcaster! Literally has me hooked on everything he says..I'm so happy this sort of fell in his lap as he said because he is really good at it -Also I know the comments on Nick's twitter post for the episode says it all..but I was so disappointed in the interrupting. Steve would start saying something interesting in response to a question and you would ask him 4 questions before he got a sentence out. I really wanted to hear what he was going to say about Olivia because I really enjoy their friendship..but I think he only got 3 words out about that..

This is bad podcast etiquette. I listen to Steve’s podcast religiously and he’s great. He’s straightforward and honest while still being very respectful to the person he’s interviewing. I never cringe listening to his questions and he’s always very thoughtful and purposeful when he speaks. I’ve always liked Nick, I always thought he was misunderstood, BUT this is super cringey to listen too. I just wish Nick would have been less one sided in this interview and used it to ask Steve more interesting questions as opposed to “why don’t you like me.... why do you hate me.... wahhh wahhh wahhh”

I saw a tweet that said your podcast should be called "The Viall Monologues". and your producer....dont get me started....nuff said. so rude.

I'm so sick of Nick's smug, pompous attitude and poop-eating grin while he antagonizes and attacks his own "guests". Done.

Rachelle would've kept Nick in check. Not a good look, Nick.

I'm listening at 8:00 ... Nick is upset, the way Reality Steve portrayed him. We are NOT all Super fans.... I have no idea what Nick is talking about.

Nick, you can’t speak for the entire bachelor nation franchise. Why are you discrediting others’ experiences? Have some respect for all opinions and stop fixating on only yours

This came off as very ignorant. Obviously, proper research was not conducted, and it looked extremely unprofessional.

I am not one to negatively comment either but I do agree with a lot of the comments. I am a subscriber and usually enjoy Nick’s podcast, but this seemed like a personal vendetta and really made me uncomfortable for both of them. Even though I applaud two people being completely authentic and standing by their words and actions, it was just disappointing and I felt like I was in a room at a family gathering when two family members have a blow out on a million things from the past in front of everyone. I am “leaving the room” now around an hour in. It is too awkward...

this convo is funny to me. the bachelor franchise makes bank by creating drama- reality steve does the same. nick's points are drenched in hypocrisy

Oh wow. I came into this interview liking nick & not even liking reality Steve... and now I leave this interview not knowing what to feel about nick & having a great deal of respect for RS

This is probably the worst episode. Just rude the whole time. Not an interview just Nick interrupting and shutting down everything RS said. I like Nick normally but he’s acting like a scorned high schooler.

This is like celebrities getting mad at TMZ, RS has a job.

Nick I usually like your episodes but this is bad. Put your personal feelings aside and let the man talk.

This interview is just so bad 🤦‍♀️ smh

No producer manipulation Nick? Why put racist Lee on Rachel's season? Why out Victoria F on a one on one with Chase Rice?

I'm not a fan of RS per se. But he handled himself well in this "interview" (/witch hunt). I wouldn't have been able to stay as cool, calm and collected as he was. Really cringy episode.

Nick cut out a part at 46:48. Probably trying to save face but I can't imagine what would make this interview worse.

Horrible to watch. Did you talk to him privately about your own issues with him before you did this interview lol?

Nick, the white male privilege to assume that your experience on the show was the only true experience.. really? You single handedly stated that every person who’s ever claimed to be “wronged” by the show was just salty and catty and couldn’t possibly have a valid argument. It’s reminiscent of people that protect abusers. “Well he didn’t abuse me so he couldn’t possibly have abused her.” Two things can be true at the same time. You may have had a positive experience with producers and others may have NOT. This whole “interview” felt very self serving on Nick’s part. He admitted he refused to go on RS’s podcast. Yet he was willing to have RS come on Viall Files where he had full control to edit or choose not to air it, AND had his trusty producer there to gang up on RS with the snide comments. In my opinion RS was the bigger person here. Unfortunately many of the valid points Nick wanted to make were lost in the constant interruptions, leading comments and inability to validate anyone else’s experience. And FYI, I’m not an RS fan.

My thoughts 'a plague on all their houses' , after listening until the bitter end! Steve has clearly had an agenda against Nick in the past, but the lack of awareness on Nick's part is shocking as a host - 1) far too much talking by Nick and, worse still, the new producer who replaced Rochelle. Also the do-over at at the end when he had left seems very sketchy after Nick got the man to come on his territory.2) Nick ascribes the worse motives to Steve when he got things wrong but glosses over his own error in claiming that his parents were bullied, massive issue if it had been true, and faults Steve for basically telling his father to be wary of the producers. 3) Producers of the show clearly have a greater burden of responsibility, and to say contract clauses don't matter with the new producer laughing and her interjections., I'll stop there- this was ridiculous. Hopefully he's back on form next week.

After watching this interview , you’d think Nick was an executive for The Bachelor . He went to bat for them like I’ve never seen before ! And the fact Nick could not have any kind of open mind about RS’s points and all he wanted to do in this podcast is tell RS that he’s a bad person ... I don’t know if I’ll be watching more podcasts after this .

Woof. Okay. I say this as someone who has wanted a podcast episode between the two of you since 2017...this was a complete and utter mess. I understand that Steve has hurt Nick but there still needed to be a degree of professionalism present in the interview. As someone who has listened to both of your podcasts since their inceptions, I would have much preferred you going on Reality Steve's platform because he would have been much more considerate to you and actually let you answer questions presented. This bit...not a cute look in the slightest. I also want to ask why you think it's okay that Steve couldn't use a conversation you had in a public place (which I agree with you on) but you think it's okay for producers to take advantage of what people say/force them to say things...? Because "it's a TV show" ...? Dude, come on. How many thousands of people still listen to your podcast because we want to hear from you and your experiences without (I think...?) heavy edits and manipulated statements. Both situations addressed are similar in that you are taking consent away from the participant involved. With the producers it's probably even worse because you are using emotional and legal manipulation to get information out of contestants or are misconstruing what they said. Participants also have an idea of what they are going to feel/expect going into the show when they sign contracts, but as you have stated previously, no one knows what they are consenting to until they are actually there in the moment, and in that moment, they cannot freely retract their consent, as there are too many variables involved that control the participant's state of well-being. In that respect, to use your own words, the producers are not "realiz[ing] that they're human." As someone who did human-based ethnographic research at the graduate level and had to go through various ethics approval processes, how the producers act would get you expelled from school and sued, if not blacklisted from academia in general. If you're not for one, you shouldn't be for the other, and it seemed as if Steve was acknowledging that but you wouldn't stop praising producers on the show. I get that your friends with many of them, and your views on people are always going to be subjective, but they have done some pretty fucked up shit. What about how they treated Meredith Phillips...? Are we just going to pretend that situation never happened? I expected more from you, Nick. As a long time listener, you really let me down here. Your statements in today's interview made me feel more dislike for you than five years of consuming Reality Steve content ever did. This could have been a really interesting conversation on the ethics and impacts of reporting, but instead it was a two hour long attack and interruption fest. Whether you like Steve or not, he has helped many contestants share their stories and not all of them were just bitter contestants who were eliminated too early. Many of them share life experiences outside of the show that humanize them even more and give audiences a better image of who they are as a person (eg. Courtney Robertson and Olivia Caridi). Also, if it makes you feel any better, Steve has ragged on you, but (at least in my experience) it never really changed how I viewed you as a person. Many people have the ability to overlook a few jokes/someone else's opinion and don't just take what a singluar other person says as verbatim.

Ugh this was very cringy. I think you should have hashed things with Steve before this interview. It was awful!! You kept interrupting and it was all it’s all your fault kinda podcast. Geez at least he took it gracefully. Very disappointed Nick.

I have seen Steve before in other podcasts and quite frankly didn’t care for him. After this podcast I feel bad for him. Is like you wanted to school him. You shouldn’t let your personal feelings lead. If you are a a host and have him on your podcast you should be more neutral in your approach

Came here after I heard about this on a different podcast. This was painful to listen to. Kudos to Steve for not just ending the call after the first dozen times he was interrupted or insulted by Nick.

Hi Nick, I never make comments like this but I want to provide some constructive criticism. You went into this conversation not wanting to learn WHY reality Steve reports the way he does or why he feels strongly against production. You wanted to devalue his perspective. I 100% understand where you’re coming from with the reports he posts impacting people’s personal life but when you apply to be in one of the top reality shows in America, this comes with the territory whether you like it or not. What anyone posts about you is a perspective. Here is what I feel you failed to allow him to speak on and understand: yes, production has a story to tell but so does Steve. That is their jobs. Steve is critical of the show for the fact they have the ability to completely shift public perception of a person through their narrative by PIECING things(clips) together to make something that was not there. If you’re going to back up production, understand where Steve is coming from too. This was condescending and humiliating. Your producer is not giving you the best advice based on her extremely disrespectful attitude. It was gross.

As a long time fan of both Nick + RS, I have always hoped one day the two would bury the hatchet and do a podcast episode together, but this really seemed like a conversation that needed to happen prior to recording a podcast together. Nick, you seemed to be completely unwilling to have your villainous perception of Steve challenged in any way, and that made for a very uncomfortable podcast to listen to. It really felt like you had him on to call him out publicly and steamroll him, rather than to see a different point of view and maybe reach an understanding of each other. This had the chance to be a really compelling podcast, but instead it was just disappointing. Also, I think calling him out re: outing Demi was totally needed, but I think it would have been way more of a powerful conversation had it been presented without an entire podcast of condescension surrounding it. I think that conversation was so important but got lost in all of your personal feelings about him.

Nick should change his last name to Vile, that describes the treatment we just witnessed of this guest. Nick proves once again how narcissistic he is. This was clearly a set up to attack Steve & ambush him in a failed attempt to discredit his work. What was even more appalling and disgusting was the producer's behavior! Acting like a complete and utter disgrace to her profession. Childish is an understatement. She should be relieved of her position. Both should be ashamed. Yuck.

This was the "cringiest" interview I've ever watched. Nick, did you just have him on the podcast to berate him orrr?? What was the point of this?

Bro pulls the company line SO HARD. He can never say anything about his producers

Interrupting your guest over and over. You’re not better than anyone else Nick.

I think this would have gone so much better if reality Steve had hosted, as he isn't as emotionally involved. Nick is emotional, understandably so. And he's talking to someone he still views as the enemy. I get that Nick needed to go off. A lot of this seemed like it needed to be a private conversation pre podcast. I think because of how Nick went about it, his point didn't get across. And an opportunity was missed. I hope nick does reality Steve's show in return and is able to learn from this experience. He isn't wrong in the hypocrisy, but how he went about it was very tough to watch.

Though I am Reality Steve longtime fan, I understand Nick`s frustration and how the spoilers affected his life, but I wish if has the same energy grilling Mike Fleiss on his sexism and misogyny and other producers/editors on leading contestants and sometimes portraying them as villain.

Very disappointed with how this episode played out. I listened to Nick's podcast regularly, but have no desire to continue listening after seeing how he treated his guest. He crafted this episode to make Steve look bad, when in reality, Steve is just doing his job. It was unprofessional for Nick to mock and constantly interrupt him. I have gained much more respect for Steve after listening to this and lost respect for Nick.

This was rough...

Ewww, this episode just have me all the icky feels. You won't go on RS podcasts, but you'll let him come on yours just to bash him and argue with him on every point to the point of being aggressive. It just felt so disrespectful to a guest on your podcast and so unnecessary.

Nick is very rude cutting him off then always making it about him. Get over it and stop whining!

Nick's approach in this episode suddenly makes a lot more sense

Nick literally wouldn’t listen to anything he would say. the second steve started talking he would think of something wrong in his statement before he would even finish lol.

what steve was saying is not what nick heard his feelings clouded a lot of things here. 1) producers are more aware of how things go how things will be edited due to their experience with the job compared to a girl from rural SC so its not manipulation is guiding especially when you pass yourself off as a “friend or family of the contestants.” which ive heard contests say verbatim, is brain washing in a lot of ways and nick it’s technically a victim but enough time has just passed where he thinks seeing it another way is “enlightened” 2) are we all still pretending they didn’t voice over kellys last episode on peters season.