Interview: Sean Lowe Talks Upcoming Season of THE BACHELOR

Bachelor Nation was shocked when fan favorite Sean Lowe was left heartbroken on a beach in Curaçao earlier this year. Deeply in love, the handsome and sincere Texan envisioned starting a family with Emily Maynard. But in what became one of the most shocking moments of the season, Emily blindsided Sean, rejecting him and sending his heartfelt dreams crashing down around him. He was devastated and alone then, but he has not given up on love. Sean is back as the Bachelor and ready to risk it all again for another chance at love. 

"The Bachelor," premieres MONDAY, JANUARY 7 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. Sean Lowe recently spoke to reporters about his search for his soul mate, among 26 beautiful bachelorettes!

When Emily announced her split from Jef, did you ever consider reaching out to her, to see if she'd give you another chance or was being the bachelor and starting from scratch definitely the way to go for you?

I think being the bachelor is definitely the way to go for me, and I believe I heard about their split actually in our final destination and, so that's why (inaudible) invested in other women. Even before I decided to do The Bachelor, I knew that Emily wasn't the one for me, and that became clear over time and, while I certainly wish her the best and, you know, I want nothing but good things for her, I know she's not the one for me, and I'm sorry it didn't work out with Jef because I know he's a good guy, and I really like Emily as well. And, I certainly hope for happiness with her in the future.

In promos, ABC has teased a familiar face from a previous season is going to be on the show. I know you can't reveal who, exactly, she is, but do audiences view her as a villain or as someone America will be happy to see again?

I think, without giving anything away, I think America will be surprised to see who it is. And, I know I was certainly shocked when she steps out of the limo on the first night.

Did you find love during your season on The Bachelor? Did you walk away with a fiance?

Well, you know I can't tell you that...But, what I can say is, I had really no idea that I would become so attached and emotionally invested into multiple women. I've heard on seasons past, you know, it's possible to develop feelings for multiple women, and I've always thought, that would be so hard to do, but in this situation, it can happen and it did happen. And, I think you'll see those relationships play out as the season airs.

How did you convince yourself that the show's process was going to work for you when the odds obviously weren't really in your favor considering the bachelor's poor track record of long-lasting relationships? 

Well, you know, I've never paid attention to the track record of past relationships. For me, it came down to, you know, I realized that, my feelings for Emily were very real, and they were very authentic and genuine. And, you know, I just wanted to know, could I find those feelings again? And, you know, because I had such a positive experience with Emily, you know, I thought I owed it to myself to give it a try.

What can I expect out of the 26 women this season, and did the producers do a good job in the selection process?

Yeah, let me answer that part first. The producers did an excellent job, and I told them before I accepted their invitation to be the bachelor that, you know, I obviously want girls that are well-suited for me, and my experience on The Bachelorette, I got to know the producers really well, and I think they got a sense of who I am. And, I was blown away by just the amount of wonderful women that we had this season. 

I mean, smart, well-accomplished, funny, and I think you'll see that causes internal problems for me as the season progresses because I get to a point where I think, "Wow, I've got so many wonderful women, I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know how I'm going to sort this out." So, yes, I was very happy with the selection of women and, forgive me, I forgot the first part of that question.

Can you go back to the process of getting over Emily and would you say that she broke your heart?

Yeah. I would definitely say that she broke my heart, and I kind of mentioned it on The Bachelorette that, that was the first time I've ever really had my heart broken, but being able to watch her relationships with Jef and Arie play out on TV, I think that helps me get over it a lot faster.

And, then, of course, I've got a great support system here in Dallas with friends and family and, just over time, I've realized that, you know, she's not the one for me, and she certainly had her doubts about me. And, the woman I want to be with and spend the rest of my life with, I don't want her to have any doubts about me. And, like I said earlier, I really respect Emily and I've got nothing but positive feelings for her, and I hope the best for her, but I know she's not for me.

Was there anything that you were particularly looking for in a woman? 

Yeah, there's a few things. And, first, I really wanted to find my best friend. You know, someone that I can really see myself spending every day with and just enjoying being with them and being their partner for life, so to speak. And, so, a few attributes I was looking for is, I was looking for someone who was smart, you know, a woman's intellect is probably the sexiest thing for me. And, then, I wanted someone who was funny and then I really wanted someone who just had a good heart, you know, someone who is genuine and caring and loving and possesses all the qualities that you would want in a wife.

This is jumping the gun a little because you haven't even told us if you're in love, but do you want to have kids and, if so, how soon?

Yeah, of course, I want a family, you know, I obviously value family very much, but I could take my time with having kids, so when I get married, ideally, I think I would like to give it a couple years so that I can just enjoy being with my wife before we start having kids and introducing children to the family. But, obviously, as you saw with Emily, I would be prepared to take on that situation right now if I needed to.

Why did you decide to go on The Bachelor? Were you hoping to find someone you would propose to and be married to?

I was hoping that I would find the woman I want to marry and, you know, as I said earlier, my feelings for Emily were very real, and I think most of the people who watched the show could recognize that and, you know, go ahead with The Bachelor. I was just hoping that I would have those same feelings, if not stronger, for one of the 25, or in this case, 26 women.

I went into it open-minded but I'm not going to propose to anyone if I'm not ready or if I have any doubts about our relationship, and I actually, I went into, I think, with a very realistic mindset, and I told myself, "If I have any doubts at all, there's no pressure to propose." We can obviously continue a relationship in the real world until I feel like it's appropriate to propose to her or I could say no to both the final two women.

What will viewers learn about you this season that they may not necessarily have seen on the previous season?

Well, I think the people will see my personality shine through a little bit more. You know, with Emily, it seems like everything they aired, it had me being a little bit more serious outside of the prank, and I think maybe part of that was because Emily is very proper, and she's this Southern lady. But, I think this season people are going to see my sense of humor shine through, and they're going to see me a lot more relaxed and goofy, so to speak, and, you know, I think, you're not going to see all the serious conversations that I seemed to have with Emily. You're going to see those, of course, but you're not going to see every conversation I have with every woman be so serious in nature.

Did you have any hesitations when you were first asked to be the bachelor?

Yeah. In fact, when they called me and initially approached me about being the bachelor, I told them I needed time to think about that. And, I took a week, and I talked with family, and I prayed about it, and, you know, at the end of the day, I knew that I am in a position where I want to find the love of my life and, as crazy as it sounds, I think that you can find that person on The Bachelor if the stars align. And, you know, I just felt like I owed to myself to give it a try.

What's the best advice your parents have given you about participating in this process?

You know, my parents know me better than anyone else, and they told me, just be yourself and stay true to who you are and then, you know, of course, stay in prayer and everything's going to work itself out. And, they trust me and they trust my judgment and so they knew that, you know, I would follow my heart, and they knew that I'd represent the family well and ultimately make the decision that's best for me.

Ashley and JP recently had their wedding last week. Did you attend and did you take anyone with you?

Yeah, I did attend the wedding and I went solo. And, unfortunately, I was only able to stay for the ceremony which was beautiful, and then I had to fly out to Vegas. I didn't get to the (inaudible) the reception, and I had a charity function I had to go to that evening, but it was a wonderful wedding and it was really cool because I got to meet a lot of former bachelors and bachelorettes there.

You're hoping for something similar, televised?

Yeah, I mean, of course, J. P. and Ashley definitely found love, and they want to spend the rest of their lives together and that's why I signed up, so of course that's what I'm looking for.

What's the best piece of advice you got from any former bachelor or Bachelorette once you signed up?

You know, I had the opportunity to reach out to a few and I chose not to because I wanted to kind of go into this blind, and I had a few kind of reach out to me and offer support, but I really wanted to experience this on my own and draw my own conclusions and make my own judgment. And, so, to answer your question, I didn't get any only because I didn't take the opportunity to take their advice.

What has been the reaction from fans on the show who watched you on The Bachelorette? 

You know, I don't know how I've gotten so lucky, but, you know, if I look online or if I look on Twitter, it seems like everyone has positive things to say about me, and I know a lot of bachelors and bachelorettes have maybe gotten any unfair rap in the past, and they get beat up pretty good online, but everyone has been so nice, and they've wished me the best of luck, and they're excited to see that I'm the bachelor, and they hope that I find true love and all that stuff. So, hopefully, that trend continues because I'm not really trying to get beat up.

You mentioned  that you had been prepared to be a stepfather to Ricky. Do any of the women this season have children already that you would step into that role again?

Yeah, you're going to see that there is, I believe there's just one woman, who does have children, and that's not a deal-breaker for me at all. In fact, I said with Emily, it almost made her more attractive in my eyes because I saw the love that she had for her daughter, and that's the type of wife that I'm looking for and the type of mother that I would like my wife to be. So, you know, whether it's dating on The Bachelor or dating in my real life here in Dallas, if a woman has children, you know, that's not a deal-breaker.

Would you say that your first impressions of a lot of the ladies were pretty accurate based on how they acted throughout the season or were you surprised about what you learned about some of them as time went on?

This was one of the things that I had to learn as the bachelor. Sometimes it takes weeks to see who a woman really is, and that first impression is not always accurate. And, you know, it's tricky because you hear women say certain things about certain women and, I would think to myself, "Well, I haven't seen that, so I'm going to make my own judgment and draw my own conclusions." But, then I would hear multiple women talk about that same woman and then you start to think, "Well, maybe there is something there," and you have to investigate and you feel like you're being fooled at certain points. It's really tough, so no, the first impression is not always accurate.

What were you thinking and feeling when the very first limo pulled up? What was going through your mind?

It was such an anxious, exciting feeling. I really can't put into words, but I had no idea who was going to step out of the limo and so it's kind of scary, but exciting and fun at the same time.

Are you nervous for your final choice to watch this season air on TV? 

Well, you know, without saying if I ended up with anyone or not, I hope that the women understand all of this, if there is a final woman, led me to her and, yeah, you're going to see me develop relationships with multiple women and kiss multiple women and I know that to be really tough to watch, but hopefully they would just have a good understanding of "Yeah, he had to go through that to end up with me."

ABOUT THE BACHELOR

In the premiere episode of THE BACHELOR, Sean kicks off his journey – not by meeting beautiful bachelorettes, but by meeting with a friend - someone who was also left heartbroken by Emily - Arie Lukendyk, Jr. The handsome race driver offers his support as well as some hilarious, if questionable advice. 

Arriving at the mansion for the first cocktail party, Sean is nervous, but seeing how excited the women are to meet him calms him down. These amazing women all make unique and lasting impressions, including a beautiful make-up artist who marks her territory with a kiss on Sean's cheek. A gorgeous engineer back flips out of the limousine – only to fall, unceremoniously, on her behind. A lovely cruise ship singer serenades Sean with an original song about their future love.  A sexy hairdresser shocks Sean when she admits she's obsessed with the book Fifty Shades of Grey. A beauty dressed as a blushing bride steals the first real kiss of the night. However, Sean is so taken with one voluptuous woman, he decides to break the rules and offers her the first rose, to the dismay of the rest of the shocked and jealous women. But the last limo holds a real surprise: One additional guest shows up and changes the game. The competition shifts into high gear. 

The women are confused and concerned when Sean gives another early rose to an enchanting wedding gown designer. When yet another bachelorette returns with a rose, the others realize that all the rules are out the window; if Sean feels a connection with one of them, she will get a rose right then and there. However not all the women are lucky enough to receive an early rose, and they wonder how best to impress him. One vulnerable woman reaches out to the Bachelor with honesty and sincerity. Another comes on strong, while still another repeatedly tries to steal his attention. Twelve women head into the rose ceremony with roses safely in hand. Sean, acknowledging how difficult it is to send seven more home, selects seven additional bachelorettes at the rose ceremony. Nineteen women will continue on with him in the search to find love.

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