'Bachelor' Sean Lowe: 'I couldn't follow the rules. I had to follow my heart'

New "Bachelor" Sean Lowe has kicked off the season by handing out roses, well, kind of willy-nilly all night long during the premiere. He tells Life & Style that his enjoyment of the experience was not something that stopped after the first night -- nor did his flouting of the rules.

"I really laid my heart out there," says Lowe. "I want to find the love of my life. I owed it to myself to give it a try."

He calls the 26 contestants "smart, well-accomplished, funny" and says that he became convinced his wife was among the group.

"As the season progresses, I get to a point where I think, 'Wow, I've got so many wonderful women, I don't know what I'm going to do.' There were certain points in the season wher I couldn't follow the rules. I had to follow my heart."

"I really wanted to find my best friend, someone I can really see myself spending every day with and just enjoying being with her and being her partner for life," concludes Lowe.