Sean Lowe is set to debut as The Bachelor in less than a month, and he promises emotion, surprises and drama - just no second thoughts about Emily Maynard.
Of course, we already know how his season supposedly ends - see The Bachelor spoilers for the long and short of it - but that's neither here nor there.
In a chat with the media today, Sean Lowe discussed the "mystery contestant" in the premiere, to Emily Maynard, cat-fighting, early favorites and more.
Excerpts from his wide-ranging interview below:
On early favorites this season: "There was definitely one girl in the first episode that catches my eye, and she does receive the very first rose."
"You'll see that that first feeling and those initial sparks, they're going to play out over several episodes, and it's going to be an interesting relationship."
On drama among the women: "There's going to be drama and a little cattiness. It's almost inevitable for it to happen, but it always irritated me."
"When girls got caught up in the drama and lost focus on the reason we were all there ... I just wanted them to focus on the relationship we had."
"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 gonna make my own judgment.'"
"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."
On the choices by the producers: "The producers did an excellent job, they truly did. I told them I wanted girls who were well suited for me."
"I got to know [the producers] really well while I was on The Bachelorette and they got a good sense of who I am, but I was blown away by the amount of wonderful women."
"I had no idea I would become so attached and emotionally invested in multiple women."
"I'd heard about that happening on past seasons from people who'd done the show, but I thought that would be so hard. But it can happen, and it did happen."
On the mystery contestant: "I think America will be surprised to see who it is. I know I was certainly shocked when she stepped out of the limo on the first night."
"I'm glad she did come the first night. I probably would've done the same thing [Ben Flajnik] did, so I wouldn't infuriate the other women that had been there several weeks."
On being on The Bachelorette: "My feelings for Emily were very real, and most of the people who watched the show could definitely recognize that."
"I wouldn't have accepted The Bachelor unless my heart was definitely mended. I realized over time she's not the one for me, and I knew she had her doubts about me."
"The woman I spend the rest of my life with, I don't want her to have any doubts."
On Emily and Jef Holm breaking up: "I heard about it at our final destination [on the show], but I think even before we did The Bachelor I knew she wasn't the one for me."
"Jef's a good guy, and I hope for happiness for her in her future."
Sean Lowe as The Bachelor: Good choice for 2013?