Will Jake Pavelka go from the heartbreak of being rejected by Jillian Harris on "The Bachelorette" to finding his soul mate on the new season of "The Bachelor"? ET talks to the 31-year-old commercial pilot who reveals that he made no promises to present a woman with an engagement ring in the series finale. He tells us, "I didn't necessarily do what everybody wanted me to do."

ET: What has surprised you the most about being on the other side, now that you are the one who has to pass out the roses? Do you feel more empathy for Jillian Harris?

Jake Pavelka: That is funny. I kept saying that all season. You can stand there as one of the contenders -- one of the 30 bachelors -- and look in her eyes as Jillian would bite the right side of her lip and look down at the ground. It is hard to make eye contact with people because of what the goal is -- to find love. Any type of rejection, whether they show it or not -- guy or girl -- it hurts people's feelings and it wears on you. I have a new respect for what Jillian and Jason Mesnick and past "Bachelors" and "Bachelorettes" have gone through. You can't really tell someone what that feels like to stand there. I don't want to say you are judging anybody, but I have been on both sides now, and it almost feels like that.

ET: I know you can't comment on any specific girl, but can you rate the girls? Did you find anyone special?

Jake Pavelka: I don't want to ruin the ending. To answer the second part of your question first: I stayed true to myself from the very beginning. Once everything was announced, I went in and said, "Honestly, if I find love, I will come out engaged. If I don't find love and have that feeling, I won't," so I didn't promise a ring at the end of this. I stayed true to myself. I didn't necessarily do what everybody wanted me to do.

All 25 women were absolutely amazing -- very high caliber, from all walks of life with incredible journeys. I am sitting here running different girls through my head and they were all amazing. I know that is kind of broad, but it was from the heart.

ET: Will you have to apologize to your parents for some of the hot scenes?

Jake Pavelka: I didn't do this to make a television show. I felt when I came out of "The Bachelorette" that I felt I had a lot of friends that cared, who asked me, "Would you like us to get you set up? Coincidentally, we are going to film a show about the whole process." I went in just to fall in love. What I took with me was just being myself. I will throw you a for instance. In a normal relationship, would you get in a hot tub in a swimsuit with a girl? Yes, I have done that in past relationships, why would I not do that now and give the relationship every chance I can? Things like that, getting into a hot tub with a girl, you are still in swim suits, I don't think I have anything to apologize for. I talked to my family in great detail about that. I am confident of how I handled myself on the show.

ET: Did your experience with Wes last season make you more sensitive to weeding out girls who may have been there for the wrong reason?

Jake Pavelka: I thought about that a little bit before we started. When we actually began production and I met the women, I didn't think about that again. They cast this season for me so well that when I met everybody -- of course it is first impressions and best foot forward -- but you can only do that for so long. It absolutely was not a concern of mine.

ET: Are you emotionally, at this moment in time, ready to get married? Not to a specific girl, but in life?

Jake Pavelka: Yes. I am emotionally at a really good place in my life.

The new season of "The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love" premieres Monday, January 4 at 8 p.m. on ABC.