It’s hard to believe, but Mario Lopez swears that “I was a fat, fat baby. I looked like a sumo wrestler. My mom had to pull the fat folds apart when she bathed me!” He slimmed down in time for a whole generation to watch him sail through high school on Saved by the Bell, stumble through an ill-fated quickie marriage to Ali Landry and take second place in season 3 of Dancing with the Stars. Now starring on Broadway in A Chorus Line, the Extra weekend edition cohost and author of Mario Lopez’s Knockout Fitness has transformed himself into Hollywood’s sexiest specimen. For our ninth annual Bachelor issue, Lopez, currently hosting the second season of MTV’s Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew, was game to re-create history’s hottest poses at the One&Only Palmilla resort in Los Cabos, Mexico. Later, Lopez, 34, sat down with PEOPLE’s Antoinette Coulton and Monica Rizzo to answer our burning questions.

Tell us about your first kiss.



I’m very proud of my first kiss! It was with Fergie! It’s very hard for me to call her Fergie; I call her Stacy [Ferguson]. I was 10. We were on Kids Incorporated together. She says there was no tongue! She has stayed just as sweet as when we were kids.

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Was she officially your girlfriend?



Of course she was! She likes to point out that I was very smooth because I bought her perfume!

Did you ever hook up with anybody from Saved by the Bell?



All the girls were great. Tiffani-Amber Thiessen was my girlfriend for a while. Now she’s my friend. She’s happily married, and I love her.

Did anyone else hook up on the set?



Um, not to my knowledge. Everybody got along so well, it was boring. They did a True Hollywood Story on the show and it was the worst True Hollywood story ever.

Did you ever date Eva Longoria?

We never dated. Unfortunately. We met a long time ago, and she was always with somebody or I was with somebody. But we hit it off and I have the utmost respect for her. Tony Parker is a lucky guy. I was in her wedding. I walked her mom down the aisle!

What’s the status of your relationship with Karina Smirnoff?



Karina is a great girl. She’s smart, funny, talented, a good person. I’m not one to kiss and tell.

Are you seeing somebody now?



I’ll say that my girlfriend right now is Knockout Fitness, A Chorus Line, Extra and my new show on Lifetime [Salsa and the City, a reality show pilot]. It’s not fair to anyone I’m dating. That’s why I’m not in a serious relationship.

So you’re not looking for love?



I used to think I fell in love every week. But I think it turned out to be lust or deep like.

Do you think about having a family?



Right now I get to live through my sister and all my cousins and my nieces and nephews. I’m very much a kid myself. I don’t even have a pet.

What’s your idea of the perfect first date?



I like to go to a place in Koreatown in L.A. where they have private karaoke. It stays open until 6 in the morning. Everybody’s Korean except me. It’s a great place to bring a girl and see how she reacts. If she rolls with the punches and has a good time, then I’m like, “All right, this girl is cool!”

Do you always make the approach?



Not really. I like to get introduced. I’ll see a girl and say, “Who is that? Does anybody know her?” I won’t just have my buddy go up to her randomly. There has to be some sort of connection.

Are you completely honest in your relationships?



Now I am. Before, I wasn’t. When you’re honest from the get-go you don’t have to use your memory as much!

What do you look for in a woman?



I like a girl who’s from a modest sort of upbringing, because it’s more relatable. I’m a first-generation American. My parents [Elvia and Mario Sr.] emigrated from Mexico and live in the same house I grew up in in Chula Vista, Calif. I’d feel weird if the girl was a little too uppity or affluent, because I’m a very down-home kind of guy.

How soon does your family meet the girl?



As soon as possible because there are always family get-togethers. It’s always somebody’s birthday or somebody’s wedding. If my family doesn’t like the girl they will not fake it. They will not go out of their way to be nice. But if they like her, she’s in good. My dad likes them all. He’s useless in that sense! But my mom and my sister are very particular.

Do you like older women?



I really don’t have any age preference. I have generally been attracted to older women because there aren’t as many games. I’ve gone out with women at least 10 years older.

What kind of women throw themselves at you?



It’s usually the women who are like my mom’s age who are the most aggressive!

Ever been hit on by a man?



All the time. I’m very flattered being popular in the gay community, because they are a hip, cool community. They’re very cutting edge, so they like me and I think that’s great.

Might there be a sex tape out there?



No. One hundred percent, absolutely positive, no one could say that. Trust me.

What are your vices?



Everything I do is intense. If I work, I’m working hard. When I party, I party hard.

Do you smoke?



I’ll have an occasional cigar.

What’s your drink of choice?



When in Rome—or Mexico—I love margaritas. I tend to lean more toward vodka.

What’s your favorite nightclub city?



Las Vegas. I’ll give the Palms a shoutout because my friends own it.

Do you gamble?



A little bit.

Do you have any tattoos or piercings?



It’s funny, in my generation everybody got their left ear pierced, but I never did. And I never got a tattoo.

What do you wear to bed?



I sleep naked. I love to sleep. I have to take a shower before I go to sleep, even if I took a shower a few hours before.

What’s your grooming routine?



I don’t necessarily get manicures and pedicures. I do my own deal. It takes me 15 minutes to get ready if I don’t have to shave, 20 to 25 minutes if I do. I only shave if I have to.

Do you manscape?



Not at all. That’s the Latin Indian blood in me. My dad has a hairy chest, but I don’t.

What kind of car do you drive?



A Toyota Land Cruiser and an Audi. I’ve never been one to have to have the new car or the new phone or the new gadget.

What was your craziest splurge ever?



I bought an expensive barbecue for myself. It’s the Lamborghini of barbecues. I like to grill. My big thing is to host parties at my house. I have barbecues all the time.

What’s the most amazing gift you’ve ever given a woman?



A beautiful diamond cross. I had it blessed by my priest!

Where’s the most unusual place you’ve ever had sex?



On the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. That’s a long ride, by the way. It’s very dark. I’ve never told anybody that. Hopefully I’ll get the raft named after me!

Is there anything your mom doesn’t know about you that would surprise her?



Probably the Disneyland thing!