Bachelorette 8 - Media - No Discussion - Thread #1

Emily Maynard's life just got a whole lot rosier!

The North Carolina single mom -- who was famously proposed to by Brad Womack on ABC's The Bachelor in March 2011 -- is ready to move on after their nasty split, and will search for love again as the network's newest Bachelorette, multiple sources confirm in the new Us Weekly.

Maynard, 25, has signed on for the show's eighth season, and will start filming in March. It was a "change of heart" for Maynard after months of playing hard-to-get with ABC, a Maynard pal tells Us. "She's looking for a man -- not a little boy."

Though Bachelor and Bachelorette fans are used to seeing the show's exploits carried out in a posh Los Angeles mansion where the contestants bunk together, a second insider says production for the series will relocate to Charlotte, N.C., where Maynard raises her young daughter, Ricki.

"The guys will be flying to her. We're switching things up a bit," hints an insider.

Maynard's upcoming search for love begins nearly one year after she and Womack, 38, called off their engagement. Shortly after their split, Maynard endured a barrage angry calls from her ex, but insisted there was no chance of a reconciliation.

"I wanted to be married and have more children, but I doubted he was going to still want to be with me," she told Bachelor host Chris Harrison in an emotional July 2011 interview. "As a single mom, I don't have the luxury of saying "we'll figure it out when we get there." I need that reassurance that he'd want to be with me six weeks down the road much less six years."

For more on why Maynard said yes and what to expect on the new season, check out the new Us Weekly, on stands Friday.

US Weekly has a 2 page spread on Emily being the next B'ette. According to unnamed friends she changed her mind because she just didn't want to wonder "What if?" Unnamed friends say she's hoping for a sweet, romantic season like the early Bachelors, not the nasty stuff that's happened in the later ones. There's an inset that considers the possibility of Bent returning for her season. According to the friend Emily's all but expecting it because she knows how the producers work - she thinks that's the kind of thing may be good for them but she's not sure it'd be good for her.

The article also confirms that they'll be shooting in Charlotte but that Ricki and Ricki's grandmother will be traveling with Emily as a babysitter when they leave Charlotte. According to the article Ricki won't be shown much on TV and this'll just be a vacation for her.

Emily Maynard, the sweet, Southern single mom who Brad Womack proposed to his second time around on The Bachelor, will be the next Bachelorette, a source confirms to EW. ABC had no comment. People, which broke the news, says production on the show will reportedly move to Charlotte, N.C., so Maynard doesn’t have to be away from her daughter Ricki. Ricki’s father, Ricky Hendrick, was killed in a plane crash in 2004, right before the then 18-year-old Maynard learned she was pregnant.

What do you think? If we learned anything from Ashley Hebert’s season of The Bachelorette, it was that men wished they could compete for Maynard’s hand. So producers shouldn’t have a problem finding suitors. Maynard seemed genuinely concerned about the example she’d set for her daughter during her Bachelor appearance, and made sure Womack knew she only agreed to join him in the Fantasy Suite on their overnight date so they could spend more time talking. It will be interesting to see how she navigates the show’s standard hot-tub dates, not to mention the pressure of having to show more than one man affection during a pre-rose ceremony cocktail party. Moving production to North Carolina is a sign that producers’ hearts could be in the right place, but when sources tell People that Bentley Williams — the villain of Hebert’s season — is reportedly interesting in wooing her, they better be. When the Bachelorette has a child — especially one who never knew her father and has already been exposed to a public Bachelor breakup – the audience needs to be able to respect her. If Bachelor Ben Flajnik can tell producers to find him professional women with nice legs so he doesn’t get stuck with the usual crop of wild 23-year-olds, Maynard should be able to veto Bentley and tell them she doesn’t want anyone they suspect could be a douche/”there for the wrong reasons.” Drama will still ensue. It always does. But if producers look like they’re setting her up for frustration and humiliation, it’ll turn viewers off.

So what’s your snap judgment: Will the next season of The Bachelorette be brilliant or boring?

Emily Maynard is looking for love on TV – again!

The sweet and likable winner of Brad Womack's season of The Bachelor will return to the franchise as the next star of The Bachelorette, show sources confirm to PEOPLE.

Maynard, whose rocky engagement to Womack ended last summer, was reluctant to appear on The Bachelorette because she didn't want to be away from her young daughter Ricki. But, a source says, the show is moving production to their hometown, Charlotte, N.C., to accommodate, Maynard, 25.

And who's hoping to be one of Maynard's suitors?

Bentley Williams, who famously burned Ashley Hebert on her season of The Bachelorette by wooing her while admitting to cameras that he had hoped Maynard would be the one handing out roses, is interested in competing, according to show sources.

ABC had no comment on the casting news.

America's sweetheart is returning to TV!

Life & Style can reveal that Emily Maynard will be the next star of The Bachelorette -- and ABC is coming to her.

"It's official, Emily is the new Bachelorette," an insider close to Emily tells Life & Style. "ABC is even going to move filming to Charlotte [North Carolina, Emily's hometown]. It won't be in LA at all."

Life & Style first reported that ABC approached the blond beauty to star in the next season of the series.

But she had fans convinced she wasn't interested. Just last summer she tweeted: "I don't want to be the Bachelorette."

Since splitting with The Bachelor's Brad Womack in May after becoming engaged to him in March, the North Carolina mom has been linked to Carolina Panthers tight end Jeremy Shockey and Most Eligible Dallas star Matt Nordgren, whom Emily has denied dating.

Before long, Emily Maynard will have a new crop of hopeful guys vying for her affection on the new season of The Bachelorette, according to show sources.

So what's the way to Maynard's heart? Here are five things her prospective suitors need to know about the 25-year-old single mom.

1. Her Daughter Comes First
Maynard and her 6-year-old, Ricki, are incredibly close. When Maynard left town to film The Bachelor with Texas bar owner Brad Womack, she vowed she'd never leave her daughter for such a long period of time again. That's why producers agreed to film a large portion of her upcoming season of The Bachelorette in her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. Guys had better know how to charm Ricki if they expect to have a chance with Maynard.

2. She's Loved and Lost Before
At 19, Maynard experienced a series of dramatic highs and lows. She became engaged to NASCAR driver Ricky Hendrick, who then died in a plane crash in October 2004. Just days after Ricky's death, Maynard learned she was pregnant. She named their only child after her late fiancé. Maynard remains very close with Hendrick's parents and still wears the Cartier bracelet Hendrick gave her as a symbol of the love they shared.

3. Brad's Not Out of Her Life
Even though they called off their engagement last June, Maynard and Womack are still friendly. Womack "taught me that I have it in me to love someone again," Maynard told PEOPLE. "I think he's always going to be a part of my life."

4. Stability and Patience Are Key
Maynard has never had trouble finding a date – it's finding someone she wants to keep dating that's been the challenge. Because she places motherhood first, "I need stability," Maynard says, noting that it's difficult for many men to grasp that she can't just go out on a date or skip town for the weekend on a moment's notice. "A lot of times in Charlotte I would go out with guys, and most guys knew my story." Still, she adds, "It's just a lot to handle. And with a young child, you know, it's a lot to ask of guys."

5. Must Love Cats
After finishing up on The Bachelor, Womack gave Maynard and Ricki a furry little kitten that has since become the love of little Ricki's life. So gentlemen, take note: If you're allergic to cats, you'd better bring a hefty supply of allergy medication, because nothing is going to break up this family unit. MEOW!

It's not your typical bachelor pad, but the mansion used as the set for ABC's The Bachelor and The Bachelorette is now up for rent, reports the real-estate website Zillow.com.

Built in 2005, the Spanish-style estate in Sonoma, Calif., is listed at $2,100 per night, $13,225 for a week and $35,225 for a month.

Known as "Villa de la Vina," the property has six bedrooms, nine bathrooms and 8,000 square feet of living space.

In 2010, it sold for $1.7 million, according to Zillow.

In terms of scheduling, it's available while both shows are shooting elsewhere.

The Bachelorette will move production to Charlotte, N.C., the hometown of its upcoming star Emily Maynard, while this season of The Bachelor, featuring Ben Flajnik, is being shot in his picturesque Northern California stomping grounds, Sonoma and San Francisco.

Emily Maynard has been selected as the next star of the "Bachelorette" for the ABC network. Though the current edition of the "Bachelor" is now airing, the show has already announced her involvement in the next season. Maynard has some ties to the NASCAR organization. She was once engaged to Ricky Hendrick, who was heir to the NASCAR dynasty Hendrick Motorsports. In 2004, Hendrick was killed in a plane crash. Shortly after the crash, Maynard discovered that she was pregnant with Hendrick's baby. She named the baby girl Ricki, in honor of the father. The show, which will begin filming in March in South Carolina, is set to air in May.

As someone who watched the season that she appeared on, the "Bachelor," I find it very odd that she would get to be the bachelorette after she won her season and, allegedly, Brad Womack's heart. This will be the first time that the series has reused the winning contestant. Brad had been reused after he failed to select a winner in his first season as the bachelor. When she was a contestant, the show played up her background and her status as a single mother.

NASCAR fans who wish to see more of this type of show may wish to checkout another dating show. This one is called "Sweet Home Alabama" which is currently starring former Miss Sprint Cup, Paige Duke. This is the third season of the show for the CMT network. The season had recently started earlier this month. Duke was fired from the Miss Sprint Cup program after nude pictures of Duke appeared on the internet. The show appears on CMT on Fridays.

It will be cool to see the season and to see if her ties to NASCAR are included in the show. Hopefully, the series will show the NASCAR organization in a positive manner. There could be dates centered around tracks or races. This would be a great chance for NASCAR to gain viewers from a new demographic. Big gains in a previously mostly untapped demographic could be just what the sport needs to draw in new sponsors.

Kristin Watt has been a NASCAR Winston Cup, now Sprint Cup, fan for as long as she can remember starting way back when she was a little girl and her mother would sit on the couch with her every Sunday during the season to watch the races. Back then, they were fans of Bill Elliott and newcomer Davey Allison.

FAN FAVORITE EMILY MAYNARD BECOMES THE FIRST SINGLE MOM TO STAR ON ABC’S “THE BACHELORETTE” WHEN IT RETURNS THIS SPRING’




Emily Maynard, the beautiful, sweet, young mom who captured America’s and Brad Womack’s heart on the 15th season of “The Bachelor,” finally thought she had her happy ending. She accepted Brad’s proposal and was looking forward to walking down the aisle. Unfortunately her relationship with Brad ended, along with her dream of moving to Austin with her daughter, Ricki, and starting a family. But Emily is ready for her luck to change and to bring her the love she so richly deserves. It’s hard to meet men as a single mom, but Emily will have her pick of 25 bachelors when she gets a second opportunity to find love starring in the eighth edition of “The Bachelorette” when it premieres this spring on the ABC Television Network.

Emily, 25, led a tragic but fulfilling life before meeting Brad. In 2004 she became engaged to famed NASCAR driver and team owner Ricky Hendrick. Sadly Hendrick died in a plane crash in October, 2004, leaving his fiancée pregnant with their child. The apple of Emily’s eye and legacy of their love, Josephine Riddick “Ricki” Hendrick was born June 29, 2005.

Instantly popular with “Bachelor” fans, Emily’s strength, passion and southern charm – as a mother and as a woman – would make anyone happy to make her his wife. She found love again with Brad and, even though it didn’t work out, she knows that the series can work. Among those 25 men, she is looking for someone who makes her laugh, doesn’t take himself too seriously and can be her best friend. Emily is hoping that the third time is the charm.

The Morgantown, West Virginia native who now resides in Charlotte, NC is a full-time mommy, which is something she has always wanted. Ricki, who is six years old, is a perfect blend of both her mother and father in looks and personality. Emily cherishes the unconditional love they share, which makes her smile all the time, and knows that the time they share together will serve as memories that Ricki will have forever. As busy as she is as a full time mom, Emily finds the time to do volunteer work. Her particular interest is in helping children. She has given her time to the Hendrick Marrow program, Levine Children’s Hospital, the lunch buddy program at Hidden Valley Middle School, and most recently to a jewelry class she is teaching at an underfunded middle school. Next on her list is a mission trip to Africa.

Emily feels incredibly grateful to have found her first love when she was very young, and despite not having dated a lot, knows what it’s like to be truly in love. In the past seven years, she has been looking for someone with the same spark she has for life, and she believes that she will find her soul mate on “The Bachelorette.”

Hosted by Chris Harrison, “The Bachelorette” is produced by Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss and Martin Hilton are the executive producers.

Finally, Emily Maynard has a commitment!

No, not to a man or anything, but maybe that'll come next.

ABC has officially announced that the single mother (whose relationship with recent Bachelor Brad Womack ended) will be the next Bachelorette.

So, since this casting has been rumored (and confirmed by our sources) for weeks, what took so long for ABC to put a ring on it?

MORE: Meet the New Bachelorette!

According to sources, Bachelor producers have wanted—and heavily courted—Emily since the very beginning of the casting process. However, the West Virginia mom was a bit trepidacious at first, and even after she said yes, the network did not sign off on Emily's casting until this week.

Production on the show's eighth installment is expected to begin soon, and air this spring.

Chris Harrison recently told us of Emily: "I'm hearing the same rumors, if those rumors are true I will be over the moon excited. If they are true, I don't know if they're true, but I've heard the same thing and man, I hope it's true."
On the fifteenth season of The Bachelor, Brad Womack proposed to Emily and she had prepared to move to Austin with her 6-year-old daughter, but the relationship ended. Now she'll have her pick of 25 men. Better luck this time, Emily!