'The Bachelor' star Juan Pablo Galavis: Do I care about girl drama? "Not at all. I just let them do it."

The Bachelor's eighteenth season starring Juan Pablo Galavis will premiere on Monday, January 6 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.


The identities of Juan Pablo's 27 bachelorettes have been revealed, and the show's premiere will begin with the 32-year-old single dad from Miami, FL, arriving at the Malibu mansion to meet and get acquainted with the ladies.

Juan Pablo previously competed on Desiree Hartsock's ninth edition of The Bachelorette but failed to win her heart. He left the season fairly early on but became a clear fan-favorite shortly after his departure from the show.

During a Monday conference call with reporters, Juan Pablo talked about his upcoming season and what viewers can expect. Below is a portion of his interview. To read what he had to tell Reality TV World, click here. Check back with us soon for the remaining portion of his call. 

So you're a single dad and you're a businessman. With the advent of social media, employers and clients now are looking at people's conduct before they make decisions. So can you talk about how you plan to conduct yourself this season so there are few consequences for you in the future?


Juan Pablo Galavis: I'm just going to be myself, you know, I was myself in the other show and honestly myself is the one that's going to be portrayed in this show.  And definitely what I say in my social media, sometimes I joke around. You have to know who I am to really understand what I write or what I do.

So does it mean I think people have gotten to know me through social media very well? They know sometimes I joke around, sometimes I'm serious and that's probably what they're going to see and they're going to learn more about me definitely on this show.

What process did you go through when deciding that, yes, you wanted to do this again, that you wanted to be the next star of The Bachelor? And are you happy with the decision you made?

Juan Pablo Galavis: It's a process -- you have to think a lot.  I have a daughter, you know, and being on The Bachelorette, it was a little bit less thinking because I knew that I could go home week one, week two, day one, week three. In this one, you have to be [there] for the entire season, so it was going to be a little bit of a time away from my daughter.

Also I hate hurting people... but at the same time, you have to take the risk of meeting people -- 25, in this case 27 -- and I knew that they knew a little bit about me. 


They knew what I wanted and then they knew that I wanted to have a family, have kids, so definitely it was a risk. But like I've said plenty of times, you can meet people everywhere in a club, or restaurant, but you don't know if that person is on the same page. You don't know if that person wants to get married, have kids, or not.

So in this case, it was easier in a sense. But at the same time, it's harder because you have to say goodbye to a lot of people... And I'm very happy. I'm a happy guy, so I'm always happy, and I think of that as every opportunity -- I always see the positive thing so.

You're a good looking guy, you're fit, you're funny, you know, you obviously want to have kids and so forth, so why are you still single?

Juan Pablo Galavis: Why not?  Because of that, you know, there's always -- you can meet a person, a great girl, and then all of a sudden she doesn't want to get married.  So there's one thing. 

Maybe you meet a girl that doesn't understand that you have a daughter, so there's another reason.  Or maybe you have a girlfriend and she likes your daughter a lot, but inside of her, there's something that tells her she's not going to give me my first son, so there's another issue.


So it's not easy.  You know, there's always somebody for people everywhere, but it's not easy to find that person. And in this case, they knew about me, so I thought maybe it would have been easier enough, and I took the chance. 

What was your initial reaction when you found out that one of the contestants or the bachelorettes was seven months pregnant, and would that go over well in Venezuelan culture -- to marry that sort of a pairing?

Juan Pablo Galavis: It was shocking, but you know, there's [love] for everybody, and when you have somebody that is pregnant, you take care of it, you know?  Maybe my reaction -- I was like shocked, obviously, but I'm a dad and I know how that feels.

And, you know, single moms, single dads, when they don't have that other person to raise their child, it's just tough in the sense they need that chance.  And if I'm able to give her that chance, it's great. It's not easy, it's a hard situation, but [we all need it]. 

What do you have to say to critics who have something to say about you leaving your daughter to film a reality show not once but twice?


Juan Pablo Galavis: I haven't read that, but if they tell me, "Oh, you leave your daughter," well, my daughter has a mom too.  And her mom takes care of her anyways when I'm away.  I travel a lot.  So, it's not that I'm leaving her to do a reality show. I'm, you know, leaving her a couple of times to maybe find somebody that I can be happy and have a family with and then she will have brothers and sisters.

So, I don't think that if somebody says that, you know, maybe they don't have families and they don't know what that means, you know?  But I don't care about those kinds of critics.  I'm glad that I haven't read them.

Finally, a Latino bachelor.  And speaking of that, how are you going to express your culture in this season of The Bachelor?  Are we going to see you eating empanadas or expressing your Latino culture in any way, shape or form?

Juan Pablo Galavis: I'm going to tell you something, I'm going to tell you something.  I am the Bachelor, and I am a Latino, and obviously it's going to be me.  So, there's going to be a lot of Latino things in the show -- a lot, you know, just me.  And it's going to be great.  It's going to be a lot of food, a lot of dancing, a lot of stuff.  I'm going to tell you, it's going to be so different that you're going to love it.

Will we see any salsa dancing?


Juan Pablo Galavis: Maybe a little salsa dancing, or maybe another rhythm, I don't know.  We'll see.

I know in the past, the show has been criticized for not having more Latino involvement either as Bachelors or Bachelorettes. So what kind of feedback have you been receiving from the Latin community?

Juan Pablo Galavis: No, we're just happy.  People are just happy.  And it just -- it's not that I'm a Latino, I'm not -- because also, I'm Spanish, you know.  Another fact is, whether you are a Latino or not, it's just not easy to find somebody for the show, and also in The Bachelorette or The Bachelor to find people from different cultures. 

They don't understand this show; They don't want to be in this show.  So it's not easy and definitely their reaction has been great and I'm happy.  It's going to be great. 

Last season, Desiree Hartsock was blindsided by Brian Jarosinski, Ben Scott was made out to be a villain, and then Brooks Forester left her at the end. Were situations like that kept in the back of your mind when filming began?

Juan Pablo Galavis: You always keep that in the back of the head but, you know, it's just drama.  There was drama with 25 guys in a house -- I cannot even imagine 27 girls in a house.  So, do I care about their drama?  Not at all.  I just let them do it.  I didn't care about my drama in the show.  I don't care about their drama. 


You know, I'm there to meet the women and in a one-on-one basis, you know, get the chance to talk to all of them and get to know them.  So whatever happens in the house, I just don't care.

What do you think of getting married on TV?  Would you do it, and why or why not?  

Juan Pablo Galavis: Getting married on TV, I'm not sure.  You know, I don't know.  It's something -- I'm from Venezuela and weddings in Venezuela are big, and music -- I don't know how this works.  I have no idea.  So, I'm not even thinking about that.

Do you have any embarrassing moments you could share about any ex-girlfriends or something?

Juan Pablo Galavis: No, I don't think so.  Let me try to think.  I'm going to be honest with you guys, my memory sucks, sometimes.  I watch a movie and three days later I don't remember -- like, I cannot tell you the entire movie.  So, embarrassing moments, I don't think so.  If I think about one, I tweet it.  I'll tweet it at you.  I promise you.

Now that you've done this process with The Bachelorette and The Bachelor, I'm sure things were different than they appeared to be when you watched the show on TV beforehand.  Is there anything that you learned about making this show behind the scenes -- anything that really surprised you? 


Juan Pablo Galavis: I have to be honest with you, I've seen The Bachelorette six episodes.  I saw a half-hour of The Bachelor before I did The Bachelorette because they go, "Have you seen the show?" And I was like, "No." 

So I'm going to see The Bachelor for the first time on January 6 from 8-10PM.  So, I would just be myself and, you know, do what I'm supposed to do in the date and going out and doing all that.  So to me, nothing was too new.

Obviously, you know, there's a format on it kind of because there's some rules. I would say if I was me and they say, "Do what ever you want up there," it would have been different. But that's how it is, you know?

So nothing -- there's nothing else that I can tell you about it because I've never seen it.  After I watch this show, we can talk about it and I'll be like, "Oh, maybe that one I would have done different," you know?  But at the moment we'll have to see the show.

Some girls are obviously going to make stunt entrances, they'll have a soccer ball or a dog or be pregnant and things like that.  Do you think those introductions are a good idea? Because based on who you gave the first-impression rose to in the screener, it doesn't look like it.

Juan Pablo Galavis: Well it depends, you know, there are 27. I was like, "Who was the one that...?" When I [saw] like the 10th [girl], I was like, "What was the number one?" (Laughs) It makes a little bit of an impression, but, you know, roses, I give them away because I felt like it.  You know, and you're going to love that. You're going to see it. You are going to understand it.


And definitely, a good first impression -- I was waiting for crazy ones, and I didn't have too many crazy ones I think.  So, definitely the first impression right out of the limo, it might give you a little hint or something. You know, so, it's a weird night to me. First night's very overwhelming, there are a lot of people and stuff like that.  So it's not easy. It's not easy. 

Can you say what you're looking for in a woman?

Juan Pablo Galavis: Looking for a woman that is fun, that is smart, that is honest, that's athletic, that likes sports a little bit maybe, and I was looking for somebody that knew how to dance because I love dancing. 

That's one of my biggest turn-ons, or like, I fall in love with that.  But in this situation I say to myself, "Juan Pablo, not all of them are going to dance.  Not all of them will be good dancers, so please don't let them dance yet.  And just get to know them better." And that's how I did it, so. 

A lot of people won't even introduce their young children to boyfriends and girlfriends for a long time.  What role does your daughter's approval or disapproval play in your selection of a future mate, and will she be on the show? Will you consult with her or how is that going to work?

Juan Pablo Galavis: I don't need approval from her, you know, obviously she's going to be five.  The way I see it and the way you're going to understand when you see the show, is that I introduce Camila on the first day to wherever.  When I'm dating on the regular basis -- whenever is possible, I introduce her to my girlfriend at the time, but obviously I don't tell her, "Listen Camila, this is my girlfriend."


No, "This is a friend of Daddy's."  That's how I treat it.  We don't hold hands, we don't kiss, we don't sleep over, we don't do anything in front of my daughter.  I don't do it in front of my daughter because I don't want her to grow up seeing dad dating this person.  After [Carla], I just had one girlfriend, who was the one who had the chance to meet Camilla, and it was a friend of Daddy.  That's it.

So, obviously if I'm getting married with somebody someday, definitely I would be like, "This is the one, she could be your stepmom," and I'd introduce her as my girlfriend because I am 100 percent sure that I'm going to marry somebody whenever that has to happen, you know?

So I take it that way.  Approval, no.  Definitely have to talk to her -- she's got to love my daughter and, you know, because she can't love me if she doesn't like my daughter.  It's not going to work, so, Camila has to like her.

Are you concerned at all about whatever sort of impression your daughter might have of this dating process that you're going through and what message it might send her whenever she does find out about it in the future?

Juan Pablo Galavis: Well, she'll find out later.  She's not going to watch this show.  I'm going to show, you know, maybe some things to her, but I'm not going to show her everything.  It's not worth it.  She's little, she's going to be five.  So, it's not even worth involving her into this whole process and telling her, "Listen, Daddy's going to go out with 27 women." No, it's not worth it at all.

Above is a portion of Juan Pablo's interview with reporters. To read what he had to tell Reality TV World, click here. Check back with us soon for the remaining portion of his call. 






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski