The Golden Bachelorette’s Pascal Explains Why He Sent Himself Home: ‘I Need That Spark’ (Exclusive)

“I’m very picky,” Pascal Ibgui tells PEOPLE after sending himself home ahead of ‘The Golden Bachelorette’ finale

The Golden Bachelorette’s Pascal Ibgui is opening up about his journey on the reality dating show.

In an interview with PEOPLE after the Men Tell All special, Pascal discusses what he learned while on the show and why he decided to send himself home ahead of the finale.

“What I learned is to be more open,” he shares. “What I learned, it has to be the right person. You could give me 55 women, if they’re not my type, they’re not my type, no matter what they do, no matter what they say. If they’re not my type, they’re not my type. I need that spark. I need that sense. I need that smell. I need that touch. And that’s the combination of everything.”

“I’m very picky,” he adds.

When it comes to his portrayal on the show — which he thinks came off as “snobby” — Pascal says that while he likes luxury, he wishes he shared more about his life beyond the glamour.

“I’m high-maintenance, no doubt, but I’m down to earth,” he says. “I’m a very generous person. I love to give. I love to take care of people. I’m a caregiver and I will give the shirt of my back for the people who need it. But I’ve built on myself to the quality lifestyle that I enjoy and I’m fortunate and where I’m at is better than where I was when I was a kid. And I enjoy my life. I spend money, but I don’t flash it.”

“I think that’s what I wanted to set the record straight tonight with the show,” he continues. “I said, ‘Look, I don’t come from that. I don’t want them to think that I come and come from the golden spoon.’ I mean the Paris that you know, that’s not the Paris I grew up in. And so I wanted them to understand that. But I like the lifestyle I built. I work hard for it. I feel like I enjoy it and I try to teach my children good values and good morals.”

Before going on The Golden Bachelorette, Pascal says he had never seen the show before. Initially thinking it was “not for me,” he reveals that changed when he watched a few episodes of Gerry’s season of The Golden Bachelor.

“I said, ‘Okay, I get the concept,’” he says. “‘He’s one dude, he’s seeing 25 women or one woman seeing 25 dudes.’ I said, ‘I could do that!’ And I went there with a very open mind. I’m going with the flow, having a great time. And then, it was an incredible experience.”

Once he got into the mansion, Pascal shares he surprised himself with his willingness to be vulnerable. Throughout his time on the show, he learned from the other men that showing emotion isn’t a bad thing — and although he did not come out engaged, he says the show positively impacted his relationship with his children.

“I never showed them my weakness,” Pascal explains. “I’ve always shown them to be strong. And sometimes it’s not the right thing. You got to show them that you could cry and it’s okay to cry. And I felt like that was a sign of weakness before the show. When I saw those guys crying, I said, ‘I guess it’s okay. It’s okay to open up. It’s okay to have feelings.’ And it was interesting.”

The Golden Bachelorette airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.