Night one intros on The Bachelor are notoriously cringe-inducing. And Sean Lowe admits there was one that got his panties in a twist.
"Fifty Shades of Grey was a big thing back then," Sean shared with E! News in an exclusive interview while looking back on his 2013 season. Which is why hairstylist Ashley Palenkas made a reference to E.L. James' steamy romance novel "and dangled a tie in front of my eyes."
But it wasn't exactly a Mr. Lowe will see you now moment.
"If you know me, I'm not that guy," he joked. "That was the first moment of ‘OK, I'm gonna get a mixed bag here.'"
But for every awkward innuendo, there was a high point, like meeting a quirky graphic designer from Seattle, Wash. "From the get-go, I knew that she just had this energy," Sean recalled of meeting now-wife Catherine Giudici. "She was one of those girls where I was like, ‘I don't know what it is about her. I don't even know if there's romantic feelings there. But I just want to be around her.'"
That gut feeling led him through a journey of over-the-top dates, dramatic rose ceremonies and the start of a love story worth celebrating 10 years later.
"I believe everything was orchestrated so that I would meet my future wife and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity because it changed my life forever," Sean, now dad to Sam, 6, Isaiah, 4, and Mia, 3, said of his experience on the ABC reality hit. "My family—the most prized possession in my life—is all due to that cheesy, corny reality TV show called The Bachelor."
As a new season with Zach Shallcross begins Jan. 23, Sean is taking a look back on his televised journey.
From a delicious ice cream taste test to a live fairytale wedding watched by millions, Sean's season may just prove a good guy can finish first.
In January 2013, Sean Lowe began his search for love on ABC's The Bachelor. While he was initially uninterested in the gig, Bachelorette Emily Maynard's third-place finisher was slowly persuaded by a few supportive friends and producers. "I talked to my family about it," he said. "I prayed about it. And ultimately, I just thought this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If nothing else, it'll probably be a whole lot of fun."
At least she made a memorable first impression! Sean believes contestant Robyn Howard may have had the most dramatic limo arrival. "She attempted to do a backflip or back handspring," he recalled. "She landed on her head in her beautiful dress and heels. I felt really embarrassed for her." On the upside, he shared of the oil field account manager, who's still close with Sean's wife Catherine Giudici, "She played it off really well."
On night one, Sean recalled Catherine crafting a delicious way of grabbing his attention. "She brought out a tray of four different types of ice cream and it was a personality test she wanted to do with me and apparently I passed the test," he joked. "I chose cookies and cream. I forgot what that said about my personality, but she approved."
Throughout the season, Sean's feelings for Catherine continued to grow. "I could not get her out of my head and I kept thinking about how I wanted to do normal things with her," he said. "We talked a lot on the show about, 'Wouldn't it be nice if we could just lay on the couch in our sweatpants and watch a movie and order pizza?' And I didn't really have those thoughts towards anyone else. That's when it really started to click."
Will you accept this straightforward answer for how Sean knew Catherine was his forever. Quite simply, he shared, "I realized I can't see myself ever saying goodbye to her, so I chose not to."
After proposing to Catherine with a ring from Neil Lane, there were a few unconventional next steps. "The night that we got engaged, we exchanged phone numbers and to me, that was just bizarre and only in Bachelor world does that happen," Sean said. "I knew that I had fallen in love with her and I knew I wanted to commit the rest of my life to her."
Before Chris Harrison stepped away from Bachelor Nation in June 2021, the host served as a mentor for Sean. When looking back on his season, Sean credits Chris for making him feel less alone. "When you're the Bachelor, you're pretty secluded. You don't have friends to fall back on," he said. "For me, Chris filled that role, because he is the ultimate professional." And it was fairly easy to imagine Chris as part of his crew.
"We're both Dallas guys," Sean explained. "We have a lot in common. We both love sports and so he was just so easy to talk to. I always enjoyed our time together and appreciated his input."
On Jan. 26, 2014, Sean and Catherine got married in a live television special. To this day, Sean wouldn't change a thing about the celebration that was watched by more than seven million people. "If you wouldn't have told us, we wouldn't have known it was a televised wedding. The cameras were not very prevalent," Sean explained. "A lot of people have wedding video, but they're not exactly done by ABC and team, so ours is just the best ever."
Yes, he has considered that kids Sam, 6, Isaiah, 4, and Mia, 3, could one day enter Bachelor Nation. And while he's okay with it in theory, ("They will, at that point, be adults. They're free to do whatever they want") he's hopeful he's filmed his last hometown date. "As a father, " Sean said, "I hope they find love the old-fashioned way."
The Bachelor airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. on ABC.