Benjamin "Ben" Patton, Tim Lopez and Ernesto Arguello talk about 'Ready for Love'

Ready for Love premieres tonight at 9PM ET/PT on NBC and will feature three successful bachelors looking for love with the help of three matchmakers and social media.


Produced by actress Eva Longoria and hosted by Giuliana & Bill stars Giuliana Rancic and Bill Rancic, Ready for Love will give the three bachelors -- Benjamin "Ben" Patton, an international financier from Dallas, TX; Tim Lopez, a Plain White T's band member from Santa Barbara, CA; and Ernesto Arguello, an entrepreneur with a social vision from Miami, FL -- the opportunity to potentially find their match amongst 36 women, 12 bachelorettes per man.

During a recent conference call with reporters, Ben, Tim and Ernesto talked about Ready for Love. To read what they had to say to Reality TV World, click here. Below are some additional highlights from their call.  

Tim, what did your band members say about you doing this show?

Tim Lopez:  You know, it was met with a little bit of reluctance at first. I was at home in Austin and jumped on the phone with all the guys and pitched the idea, and it was something that I'd been working on and talking to NBC about for almost a year at that point kind of behind their back, you know? But it wasn't met initially with an ultra positive response. It was kind of like well...?


You know, I think they might have felt a little bit -- I don't know if threatened is the right word -- but maybe that it would be a distraction from what we were doing as a band. And, you know, I felt like I was kind of asking a lot of them that, you know, I'm going to take the entire summer off so you guys can't tour if I do this, and so I kind of understood why they wouldn't be super supportive at first.

But we kind of hashed out all the possibilities and what it might mean and what sides of it might be positive and what sides of it might be, you know, detrimental to the band. And I think they were a little bit concerned at first because having a member of the band on a reality show, they just didn't know what that might mean.

But I kind of expressed how excited I was about it and interested in it and they came around pretty quick. And at this point, I mean, we back each other up in everything that we do and we're pretty much a family.

So I think that they were excited to watch me put myself out there and see if I could meet someone great. So at this point, everybody's super geared up and excited to watch, so I think if we land a tour, we'll be watching on the tour bus -- Tivo or something while we're onstage.

What was your general impression of Hailey Clark, a 31-year-old who currently resides in Indialantic, FL?


Tim Lopez:  Oh okay. Probably the funniest girl I've ever met in my entire life. We had like initial insane chemistry just because I feel like we spent every day just laughing our heads off. Super sweet girl and this is the stuff -- this will be the first interview where we're -- I'm trying to like dodge what actually happened between her and I.

I really, really enjoyed hanging out with her. She's an incredible woman, so I got to say you'll have to watch to see how it all panned out, but love Hailey. She's awesome.

This question is for each of you. Was it easier going into a show like this knowing that you don't actually have to propose and get engaged on national TV, that there are options?

Tim Lopez:  Absolutely.

Ernesto Arguello:  Most definitely. I couldn't commit without meeting, you know, the right person. And I personally, I've never been in love. So that was not a commitment that I was about to make because I was not doing this for, you know, to be on TV.


I was doing it because I've been looking for the love of my life for quite some time now. [So] yes... That gave me a lot of piece of mind and that definitely played a big role in making the decision to participate.

Ben Patton:  Yes that was one of the big turnoffs I think for the other shows, is that how are you supposed to commit to something like that until you've met the person? I could see that happening if, you know, you met the person and you're blown away and you're just like, "Oh my God. I want to give this the best shot in the world."

But, you know, all of us are somewhat pragmatic, and we wanted to make sure that we knew kind of who we were going to meet and we never -- I don't think any of us had worked with a matchmaking service before.

So we -- yes, we were somewhat, you know, cautiously optimistic about what the outcome was going to be. So the idea that this wasn't a requirement, I think did make a big difference. At least it made it a lot more digestible. I think if it was a requirement, I wouldn't have done it.

Given the show's format, what was the biggest challenge to finding the right connection with somebody?


Tim Lopez:  I would say just allowing it to happen really naturally in a semi-unnatural setting, you know? I think all of us went in there with a clear head and with the right intentions.

And I think you kind of have your guard up at first, wondering if these girls that you're going to be dating over the length of the show are coming into it with the exact same intentions -- you know, that they have an open mind and an open heart and they're not just trying to get television too. You want to make sure that when you meet someone on a show like this, that you're meeting someone that has [good intentions].

Ben Patton:  Yes, I'd have to agree with Tim. And I'd say one other thing that was a challenge for me is to be so openly dating more than one person at a time. I've never dated more than one person at a time, and in this format, you had to. And it's actually a challenge because you're constantly concerned about hurting the people you're actually getting close to.

And so, as a result, your natural tendency is to kind of pull back. You move forward, but then you want to hold back, but you're scared about basically, you know, being an assh-le. Excuse the French.

Ernesto Arguello:  Well definitely the biggest thing for me was trust, trusting the system. Once I met the matchmakers, I felt really comfortable with them and knew they were there for me and they were going to give me all the support I needed. You know, because it is a pretty peculiar situation, like Ben said, to be dating several girls.


And to Ben's point, another thing that was complicated is always trying to respect and take care of the girls. You know, they are -- they've come out of their way to tell the world they're interested in you and definitely, you know, you would have to... handle it with care.

Tim, what did it mean to be hand-selected by Eva Longoria?

Tim Lopez:  I mean, it was extremely flattering. I remember walking into the first meeting with her and every single time I'd walk into a meeting for this thing, they were like, "Tim bring your guitar. Maybe you can sing for Eva."

And I was already, I mean, I got to say like getting onstage already comes with its own set of nerves, and walking in and thinking I was going to have to do like an impromptu performance for her was a little bit awkward and nerve wrecking.

But as soon as I met her, she was the most -- I mean, she's right up there with the most real person you've ever met and super funny and super charming, super welcoming and she really kind of made me feel at home in that first initial meeting.

And yes, I can only say I guess I was -- I felt honored that she always goes around and says "these hunky guys" and, you know, "these successful men" and they're "such a catch." And I always kind of like check myself going, "Are you listening to this? Eva Longoria's talking about you this way or talking about us this way." It was a trip at first, but we've all become really great friends and yes it's a pretty cool feeling.


How involved is Eva in the show?

Tim Lopez:  I mean, I think she's really involved. I think she watches. Right now, I mean they're in the final stages of putting it altogether and I think she's right there kind of picking and choosing scenes.

And with us she kind of walked us through the entire thing. And you know, when we weren't shooting, she was always there and hanging out with us and making us feel comfortable as best she could. So it was really helpful to have her there the entire time.

Above are some highlights from Ben, Tim and Ernesto's recent conference call with reporters. Above are some highlights from their call. To read what they had to say to Reality TV World, click here. 






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski