I always liken it to being a referee - if you notice the referee, that's not a good thing.

I started [in television] as a local sportscaster in Oklahoma City and that will always be my love. It's kind of what I live for.

The show is escapism. If you look back to when I was in college, all the girls in the sorority houses were gathered around watching soap operas. That was the escapism, the show that was giving you something you couldn't have. Now, you go into any sorority house, there are 50 to 100 girls piled in watching The Bachelor. We are the modern-day soap opera.

It was a very odd transition I guess because I didn't really intend for it to happen; it wasn't a goal of mine to end up in Hollywood and do anything other than sportscasting.

I've been able to see the world many times over. The thing I've learned is less is more. I travel as light as possible. I try to carry on.

My wildest tipping point moment came when I was introduced to Clint Eastwood. He was sitting there, typical Clint Eastwood, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, holding a Budweiser. He looks at me and says, "I watch your show from time to time." I just stopped. I was like, "I can't even think about that. I'm not even sure if I'm happy about that."

I was going to move back to Dallas, and my goal was to work at Channel 8 and be a sportscaster and cover my Cowboys and live happily ever after.