God, I swear I stopped watching this show years ago. I have no idea how this season pulled me back in again, but it did.
I love Nick too! I've been so annoyed with this contrived "villain edit" he's getting. I can completely understand why he's feeling a little cocky and thinks he's the best fit for Andi because, frankly, he is at this point. It's pretty obvious they have the most natural chemistry right now (we'll see how the remaining weeks go), and he's basically saying fuck it to the reality show rules and doing what he can to prove to Andi he's falling in love with her. I'm sorry, but if the guys can't name one instance where Nick was being a tool, then maybe they're the ones who are jealous. So what if he watched previous seasons of The Bachelor(ette)? That's actually incredibly smart of him because he seems like a pretty realistic person who'd want to know beforehand what kind of convoluted things go into this "dating" show.
It's pretty healthy to go into this show a bit skeptical, so the fact that he recognizes he's on a reality television show while they're filming makes him the most intelligent out of all the guys there. When he points out all the TV production details that'll happen in each city they go, that doesn't make him a scheming douchebag, it just shows that he's not jaded to the Bachelorette process and makes him seem more real and more grounded as a person. Like, he understands this is a crazy social experiment, so he might as well study up on how to play the process, but still maintain loyal and real towards Andi.
Also, I like how Nick and Andi can tease each other and he can say "you suck" to her, but it still seems lighthearted and funny. I don't see that kind of natural rapport between Andi and any of the other guys left yet.