As we reported Wednesday, Emily Maynard, the North Carolina single mother who Brad Womack proposed to last year on The Bachelor, will be the next Bachelorette.
People, which first confirmed the news, says production will reportedly move to Charlotte, N.C., so Maynard doesn’t have to be away from six-year-old daughter Ricki.
The back story is familiar by now: Ricki’s father, NASCAR star Ricky Hendrick, was killed in a plane crash in 2004, right before fiancee Emily learned she was pregnant.
We have mixed feelings about Emily Maynard's casting.
Watching Ashley Hebert as The Bachelorette proved, sadly in Ashley's case, that plenty of men would gladly bend over backwards to compete for ... Emily.
For good reason. She's sweet, fun, polite, gorgeous, prioritizes being a mom. Other girls on The Bachelor even said her only fault was that she had none.
Emily Maynard was even concerned about the example she’d set on The Bachelor, making clear she only went in the Fantasy Suite to talk to Brad more.
Therein lies the problem at the same time, though.
When The Bachelorette has a kid - one who never knew her dad and who witnessed Emily and Brad split, no less - can the little girl, and fans, respect her?
Moreover, can producers refrain, at least somewhat, from oversexualizing her, not to mention setting her up for frustration and humiliation, Bentley style?
It'll be interesting to see. What do you think? Is Emily a good choice?