Sarah Herron was given the first seventeenth-season one-on-one date with The Bachelor star Sean Lowe during Monday night's broadcast on ABC.

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Sarah, a 26-year-old advertising executive from Los Angeles, CA, was thrilled to have been chosen first because she believed it was a sign that Sean really wanted to get to know her better and didn't care that she only has one arm. At the end of their date, Sean offered Sarah a rose and gave her a lengthy kiss, fulfilling her dream of a "fairytale" date during which she had admitted she was falling in love with the Bachelor.

During a conference call with reporters on Thursday, Sarah talked to Reality TV World about her The Bachelor experience thus far. Below is what Sarah had to tell Reality TV World. Check back with us soon to read the rest of her call with reporters.

Reality TV World: In the premiere, you were shown saying that you believe the fact you have one arm is why you're still single. So while Sean had a handful of good reasons why he picked you to go on the first one-on-one date of the season, did you ever have any concerns that your situation similarly played a role in why he chose you first -- but in a positive way this time?

Sarah Herron: You know, I did think that my situation played a role in Sean choosing me for the first date in a positive aspect, because I think what happened was, I introduced myself to Sean and he -- I made an impression. I hope that that's why he chose me, because he saw me as a unique, strong, courageous individual and that I deserved the opportunity just as much as anybody else.

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And I think, to my benefit, it was to my advantage. It helped me stand out and catch his attention, and I'm grateful for that, you know? I think it was a very, very pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting it at all, and I was very honored.

Reality TV World: In Sean's blog, he said he believed he could tell you weren't completely comfortable talking about your arm and he wasn't sure whether you were really convinced he didn't care about it. So do you think he was right about that? Were you still a little uncomfortable talking about your arm and/or skeptical that Sean was really okay with and accepting of it?

Sarah Herron: Well, here's the thing. I think most women have their insecurities whether it's your weight or your style or, I don't know, the color of your hair. Everybody has something about them that they don't feel awesome about. And for me, my barrier is having one arm.

And you know, maybe I felt the need to overcompensate and say, "Hey, it's okay. I'm open and comfortable talking about it," because I wanted him to be comfortable.

And he made it very clear to me that he was and it wasn't an issue and we didn't really get to talk about it, so we could just move on! I think that's awesome that he kind of put me at ease and said, "It's okay, we don't have to talk about this over and over and over. I like you for who you are and I think you're great."


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But it was just important for me to let him know everything that I could and cover all the bases and just really be open and honest about all of my concerns. I appreciate him giving me the time to talk about it to just get it off my chest. But I think we did that and we established that we could move forward and we didn't need to let it be like a hangup anymore.

Reality TV World: You said you were falling in love with Sean by the end of your first date with him. Could you talk about that a little bit and what you were feeling at the time? Looking back, do you think you really were starting to fall in love with Sean or do you think maybe you were just kind of caught up in the romance and excitement of being on a special The Bachelor date?

Sarah Herron: I mean, yeah, your emotions on these dates are so high-end, and everything is very fairytale-esque and romantic and incredible and impressive that you just feel overwhelmed with emotion.

But definitely, I just felt so strongly that night -- that Sean is this incredible guy that I've looked for my entire life, that I really could see myself falling in love with him. It was authentic and my words were true.

Sometimes, things like that just happen. I mean, it sounds crazy and it sounds, you know, very fast, but I think what I was trying to articulate is that he's everything I've been looking for, I had an amazing date, and I can definitely see myself falling in love with Sean. And you know, I don't take any of that back. It's absolutely true, so yeah. (Laughs) I think I said it perfectly that night!

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Reality TV World: Did it surprise you that you fell for Sean so fast, and since you had invested such strong feelings in him so early in the season, did you leave your first date worried about how emotionally taxing the rest of the journey might be for you? -- especially since you'd have to watch him date and kiss other girls along the way?

Sarah Herron: Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean, I never expected, first of all, to get the first date, second of all, to have feelings as quickly as I did. When that happened, I woke up the next morning just realizing, "This is going to be a lot harder than I thought, because now I know that I've established my feelings for somebody, but because I've already had the first date, I have to sit back and watch x-amount of other girls go out with him. And it's not going to be easy."

I don't know, it's kind of a double-edge sword and I felt very lucky and honored to get the first date, but I also knew it was going to be a really hard journey (laughs) sitting back for the following weeks and watching him take other girls out.

Reality TV World: During your one-on-one date with Sean, you told him you wanted a guy who's adventurous and spontaneous. Those seemed to be two big qualities you were looking for. So do you think Sean fit that description? Viewers haven't seen too much of that side of him, if there is one. (Laughs)

Sarah Herron: Yeah, I think Sean is definitely that. He's kind of a self-proclaimed prankster, as you saw on his date with [Desiree Hartsock], and he's an adrenaline junkie. So I think inherently, he's someone that's up for spontaneous adventure and likes to travel. And he likes to try new activities, and that's what I'm looking for too.


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Reality TV World: Were you surprised Sean kissed you that first night, and if he didn't make the move, do you think you would have?

Sarah Herron: I was not surprised (laughs) that he kissed me. Because we were hitting it off so well. I knew that kiss was coming, and if he wasn't going to give it to me, I would have given it to him.

I mean, we really were having a wonderful time together and I just knew it would happen. If it didn't, however, I would've been completely shocked and confused and probably felt like I was on a different planet. Because I definitely saw a kiss coming at the end of the night.

Reality TV World: Out of all the girls who fought for Sean's attention that first night, was there anyone in particular who really shocked you -- or anyone who didn't get a rose that you expected to or felt should've gotten one?

Sarah Herron: Not really. I think Sean nailed it pretty good the first night and I was happy with his choices. I think his choices kind of reassured me that what he's looking for was what I was looking for and we were on the same page. So I was totally okay with who got a rose and who didn't that first night.


Above is what Sarah had to tell Reality TV World. Check back with us soon to read the rest of her call with reporters.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.