File this under Couples You Never Saw Coming: Emily Maynard and Jeremy Shockey of The Bachelor and Carolina Panthers, respectively, are totally dating!
After announcing her split from her fiance Brad Womack in June, the ABC reality show's fan favorite has moved on to the four-time Pro Bowl NFL tight end.
How the heck did that come about?
The only downside we can see? Emily not being The Bachelorette in 2012!
"They were set up on a blind date," by a mutual friend on the Panthers staff, according to Us. Their first date? At BLT Steak in Charlotte's Ritz-Carlton hotel.
Sounds like it went pretty darn well.
"They've been out five times since," says a pal of Emily Maynard, the single mother of six-year-old Ricki. "She thinks Jeremy is nice, but she's just having fun!"
That's a good thing. That stiff Brad Womack really wasn't much in the way of fun ... or genuine emotion. He may or may not have been a cyborg, actually.
For those who don't know Jeremy Shockey, the Oklahoma native spent six years making headlines on and off the field as standout for the N.Y. Giants.
His career han't been the same since a season-ending 2007 injury, but if he ends up with Emily Maynard, his downward spiral to Carolina will be well worth it.
[Photo: WENN.com]