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Now that we’ve all absorbed The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reunion—which premiered on Hulu yesterday—we need to discuss Nick Viall’s prospects as a host for future reality TV reunions.
For nearly two decades, Andy Cohen has been synonymous with Bravo reunions. From his inaugural reunion on The Real Housewives of Orange County in May 2006 to his latest for The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 16, which is set to air soon, Cohen has expertly managed intense emotions, shouting matches, and even some physical confrontations. Who could forget when he was shoved by an irate Teresa Giudice after she charged at Danielle Staub during The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 2 reunion? His patience is unrivaled, solidifying his role as the King of Reality TV Reunions. Is Viall aiming to challenge that title?
While Cohen’s position as Bravo’s (and The Traitors’) reunion host is secure, Hulu and Disney face challenges in selecting the ideal host for their reality TV content. Karamo Brown hosted the Vanderpump Villa Season 1 reunion but was replaced by Stassi Schroeder and Lisa Vanderpump as co-hosts for Season 2. Schroeder, having been in the reunion seat multiple times during her eight-season tenure on Vanderpump Rules, received positive feedback as a moderator. This likely led to her being considered when rumors circulated about a potential Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 2 reunion. Some fans, however, preferred ex-Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints member Heather Gay from The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City to engage with the Mormon MomTok influencers.
The role ultimately went to Viall — and, to be completely honest, I’m not sure anyone could’ve done a better job than him. The former Bachelor star has had his fingers on the pulse of all things Mormon Wives for months now. Back when the show first premiered in September 2024, Viall had Taylor Frankie Paul on his Viall Files podcast, where she went deeper than ever before into her swinging scandal. And after Season 2 premiered on Hulu, each and every cast member visited his podcast studio for a deep dive into all of the drama. So, it wasn’t a surprise when Hulu announced that he would be hosting the show’s first-ever reunion — after all, he had been laying the groundwork for more than eight months.
Sitting from the chair that we’ve grown so used to seeing Cohen in, Viall did an exceptional job at not only asking the hard questions, but also at holding everyone’s feet to the fire when need be—like when he called out Whitney Leavitt for not taking accountability for her own actions, or when he put Dakota Mortensen on blast for making an excuse for hiding his infidelity from Paul. Viall was compassionate, engaged, and unafraid to speak his mind.
What made this reunion feel different from a Real Housewives reunion, perhaps, was that none of these women owed anything to Viall, nor he them. Unlike Cohen, he was not an executive producer on their show and they were not relying on him to renew their next season’s contract. Rather, Viall was a fan just like us who simply wanted to get to the bottom of things—and while he may have had his favorites (not Leavitt), he was generally fair and only allowed his personal opinions to drive conversations, not conflict. It certainly paved way for a different vibe, one that felt less HR-backed and more fan-driven.
I’m not saying Cohen is at risk of losing his reunion status, nor do I think anyone could handle a Bravo reunion better than he could. However, if the Disney-owned platforms are in search of a permanent reunion host, Viall is a viable option for them—and one they should absolutely consider after watching The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reunion.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reunion is currently streaming on Hulu.