And he reveals what's in store for the final eight episodes and big finale (Don't worry-- no real spoilers after the jump):
He tells TV Guide's Aussiello Report:
"There are going to be some surprises. There will be a pregnancy. There will be a most-unexpected new love triangle. There will be some new animals that need saving. There will be some hallucinatory dreams. There's going to be a fight for the love of a certain woman. And there's going to be some surprises for the Cohen family, and some really big decisions for everybody to make. The finale is going to deliver real closure to these characters. It's going to be the finale we had always planned to do."
And one more thing:
"Taylor's going to have to deal directly with some of her hang-ups to make it work with Ryan. Let me put it to you this way: Their world is about to get shaken up."
Kristin Cavallari's name never came up.