Catherine Giudici: I was skeptical about 'The Bachelor' process, but found the man of my dreams in Sean Lowe

The Bachelor bachelorette Catherine Giudici was the final pick of Sean Lowe during Monday night's finale of the ABC reality dating show's seventeenth season.
 
Sean chose Catherine, a 26-year-old graphic designer from Seattle, WA, over runner-up Lindsay Yenter, a 24-year-old substitute teacher from Fort Leonard Wood, MO, the morning of the final Rose Ceremony when he ultimately decided he had fallen madly in love and wanted to propose to Catherine and spend the rest of his life with her. 


During a Tuesday conference call with reporters, the happy couple talked to Reality TV World about the end of the season and some controversial topics discussed amongst fans and the media. To read what they had to say, click here.
 
Below is another portion of Sean and Catherine's lengthy interview. Check back with Reality TV World on Thursday for more.

I was just wondering, what was the time period between the proposal and last night's show?  And how much were the two of you able to communicate or get together during that time period? 

Catherine Giudici: We finished filming right before Thanksgiving.  So we've been waiting since then to be public.  It's been difficult to keep a secret like that.  But we stayed true to our relationship and kept in contact every day and then got to see each other every couple of weeks in LA. 

Sean, do you have any dancing experience [that might come in handy competing on Dancing with the Stars]? 


Sean Lowe: No, zero.  But that's one of the reasons why I decided to do Dancing with the Stars.  It's something that's completely foreign to me.  Everything right now seems very unnatural, but I'm excited just to embrace the challenge and it is going to be difficult. I'm sure the odds are stacked against me.  But I hope to make up for my lack of skill with, you know, time and work ethic. 

So there are a few stories about how The Bachelor sort of got its groove back this season.  You know, the ratings are up and obviously, Sean, you have a lot to do with that. I've seen articles attributing your appeal your wholesome nature -- that you're religious, you're family oriented.  Do you agree with that?  Why do you think viewers latched onto you so positively this year? 

Sean Lowe: I'm not sure.  I was really surprised at the ratings.  And I'm so glad that America and the rest of the world has responded the way it has and the ratings are up. Yes. 

I went into the season with one goal in mind and that was to be myself and to keep an open mind and an open heart throughout the entire ride.  And, you know, the viewers have responded well, and if it's my wholesome nature, my family values, then, I think that's a great thing.

I think there needs to be more of that on television and I have heard from a lot of people that, you know, "We haven't watched the show in years, but you've brought us back.  And, you know, I feel comfortable letting my daughter watch the show."  So I love hearing things like that.  And, you know, hopefully that trend continues. 


On the show last night, Catherine, you mentioned that you were very, very skeptical at the beginning.  And I'm wondering, what exactly were you skeptical of? 

Catherine Giudici: Well, I was skeptical about truly falling in love with somebody because it's such an unnatural experience.  But, you know, I obviously shattered those pretty quickly, those skepticisms and found the man of my dreams.

And did you apply to be on the show or were you recruited?  And how did you sort of work your way past that skepticism to go ahead and be on the program? 

Catherine Giudici: Well, actually, my best friend signed me up for the show against my will.  She wanted me to find my [J.P. Rosenbaum].  She was really a big fan of [Ashley Hebert] and J.P. and their relationship and through that, I found my Sean.

Sean, I know you don't really like fame, but do you have any plans after going on Dancing with the Stars to do any more reality TV or would you do it -- and do you have any plans to pursue a career in Hollywood long-term? 


Sean Lowe: I don't.  I really don't.  At some point, we want to have a life with some normalcy to it.  That's not to say,  I mean, opportunities may pop up that are just great and we might feel that they're great for us as a couple.  But I'm not holding my breath on that.  I think after Dancing with the Stars, there's a good chance we'll head to Dallas or go somewhere and resume a normal life.

How do you think the next few weeks or couple of months of being on Dancing with the Stars is going to affect the time that you are guys were supposed to be spending getting to know each other?  Like, how is it going to affect your relationship? 

Sean Lowe: I don't think it's going to affect it too much to be honest with you.  You know, we have put in a lot of time learning how to dance.  But that's normally five hours a day or so.  So, I still have a lot of time on my hands and that will allow me and Catherine to, you know, explore LA together and be normal, go on dates and just do simple things like that that we've been wanting to do for so long. 

And Catherine? 

Catherine Giudici: Yes.  I mean, I'm excited to explore the city.  I know that I'm going to try and find something, you know, for myself so that we can both share experiences together.  And I'm excited for him and I'm excited for us and what this is, you know, going to do for our relationship in a positive way.


Sean, what are you most excited for or most nervous about for Dancing with the Stars? 

Sean Lowe: I'm most nervous about making a fool of myself on live television and also just going blank right before performing our dance.  That's a fear of mine.

But I'm excited just to learn something that is so completely foreign to me and to really accept this challenge and to give it everything I have.  And I'm competitive.  I want to win and I know my partner, [Peta Murgatroyd], is the same way.  And so, we're going to put in as much time and effort as it takes to make sure that we're the best.

Catherine, will we see you on the set and in the audience a lot? Obviously, you guys are still in the honeymoon phase.  I'm sure you want to spend all the time together that you can. 

Catherine Giudici: Yes, of course.  I mean, I want to spend as much time as I can with him and I am his biggest fan.  So I'll be front and center cheering him on, and Peta of course.


Do you guys see this as a warm up to your wedding?

Sean Lowe: Absolutely.  I think we might have one of the best wedding dances of all time once this thing is all said and done.

So you mentioned once that you guys wanted to get married soon, so what are your plans for the future? What does this mean for your wedding plans and were you guys nervous to announce them, the televised wedding plans, so early on in your relationship?

Catherine Giudici: No, I don't think we were nervous to announce them just because we are really serious about it and we want everybody to know that we are thinking about it honestly, and I don't think that any other opportunities are really going to get in our way to having that big day for us.

What does this mean for your wedding plans?  I know that you guys want to get married soon.  Do you want to take to it slow or?

Sean Lowe: I don't know, we haven't planned a date. And part of having a TV wedding means you have to kind of partner up with the network and figure out the perfect time.  So a lot is still in the air, but once we figure it out, we will be sure to let everybody know.


I just wanted to ask you about the wedding, why did you decide to televise it? Is it just because you want to share it with the fans?

Sean Lowe: Yes, I mean, we thought it was only fitting.  Our relationship started and it was formed on TV and the world has had the chance to watch it be cultivated on TV, and you know, we think it would be a special thing to have it televised.

And everyone associated with the show, we've grown very close to -- they would obviously produce the wedding as well.  So I think it would be fun and it would be nice and it would be really cool to enjoy that experience with all of our friends and family.

Have you made any decision about Chris Harrison, will he be officiating?

Sean Lowe: I doubt Chris will be officiating only because, you know, my dad is an ordained minister, my grandfather is a minister, there are a lot of ministers in line that might supersede Chris Harrison.

So was doing the whole televised wedding, was that something that you guys had to sit down and think about it or did you guys know instantly that that was the best thing for you to do?


Sean Lowe: It's something that we talked about.  You know, from the moment we got engaged obviously we started talking about the wedding and certain aspects and details of the wedding, and I think it's something that we both came to feel very comfortable with and we trust the people that would help us put the wedding on and it just seemed fitting.

Catherine, have you guys spoken to Ashley and J.P. or even Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney, your Seattle neighbors.  Did you reach out to them for advice on how their experience was?

Sean Lowe: I talked to J.P. the other day about it.  I mean, they had a wonderful experience and I haven't really talked to Jason or Molly.  They've both become friends of mine, but I'm assuming they had a great experience as well.  So I really, at this point, we don't really see any drawbacks.

Catherine Giudici: Yes, you know, I haven't talked to anybody yet, it's been one day so I'm excited though to get to know how the other couples have handled that situation and I'm sure they will offer nothing but support.

Catherine, what's your opinion of Desiree Hartsock since you were able to get to know her on the show and how do you think she'll do as the Bachelorette?

Catherine Giudici: I really like Desiree and I think that she is going to do a really good job.  She is really sweet and she is really pretty and I think that she obviously has really good intentions so nothing but the best for her.


Sean, you really put it out there that you are a Christian and you have a lot of integrity with your approach to these relationships and Catherine is kind of the same, with you saying that you are more traditional when it comes to relationships. But I'm just curious if there was ever a point where you had a hard time to rectify the fact that you were physical with several different women during the same night or over the same period of time.

Sean Lowe: Yes, when I first started The Bachelor sometimes, whether it was kissing multiple people or whatever the case was, it did feel a bit unnatural. But I mean, that's The Bachelor. You are developing multiple relationships simultaneously and only on The Bachelor are you going to start to develop feelings for multiple girls at the same time. 

And you know, kissing is just a part of showing affection and it's romantic.  And I don't regret that and I certainly don't think that -- you know, I don't think anyone else has really had a problem with it either.  I feel supported by a lot of people, a lot of people that share the same faith as me and I think I handled myself well.

This is a hard-hitting question for Catherine, what is the deal with the dresses in the proposal scene?  Did they tell you and Lindsay to both wear metallic colors?

Catherine Giudici: That's actually really funny because I was talking to the stylist yesterday.  It's just that we have very similar styles, I guess.  And that just happened to be a coincidence.  We had a lot to choose from and we just landed on the same thing.  For me, my choice was because of the scene and, you know, Thailand is very opulent and I want to just be partnered up with the scene that we are in.

You don't bring your own clothes or how does that work?


Catherine Giudici: Yes, all the girls wear our own clothes during the entire show and the finale was obviously a big, you know, a big day so we had some help with that one.  Other than that, it's all our own.

Catherine, who are you hoping to keep in touch with from the cast, who are some of your friends from the show?

Catherine Giudici: I made a lot of friends and that was to my surprise.  I think everybody knows I was best friends with Lesley Murphy and I also made really good friends with [Robyn Howard] and [Daniela McBride], some I still keep in touch with -- you know pretty much all of the girls I have somewhat of a relationship with, but I'm sure you'll be seeing some of them in the future with me. 

Above is another portion of Sean and Catherine's lengthy interview. To read what they had to say to Reality TV World, click here. Check back with us on Thursday for more.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski