Single Mom Emily Maynard Is The Bachelorette

the bachelorette single momYesterday I read about a 15-year-old Florida girl who called the cops on her mom because she was having sex too loudly. Yes, this girl is a brat but in fairness to her, there is something gross about hearing your mom (or dad) gettin’ it on. Now imagine watching your mother flirt and make out and lord knows what else with two dozen men… on national television.

That will soon be the case for Emily Maynard‘s child. Emily has just been announced as the new Bachelorette and, yup, she’s a single mom. This is kind of a big deal for the show, which has never before featured a single mom as The Bachelorette (there was, however, single dad Jason Mesnick on The Bachelor).

Fans of the show will recognize Emily from The Bachelor when she appeared as a contestant on season 15, vying for Bachelor Bran Womack‘s love. She actually “won,” though the couple ultimately split once the cameras stopped running. (Shocking, we know.) And so Emily is once again looking for love.

As host Chris Harrison explained this morning on Good Morning America, the producers have been courting Emily for a while now. “We approached her. She was reluctant and needed a lot of time to think about it, obviously, because there’s somebody else involved in her life Ricki, her daughter,” he said. “She had a lot of reservations, a lot of them centered around her daughter and how we’ll handle that. Logistically, too, is she gonna come along? All that’s being worked out.”

In case you’re wondering, Emily’s daughter is six years old. The girl’s father, Ricky Hendrick, was a NASCAR driver who died in a plane crash in 2004. Emily and Ricky were actually engaged at the time, and Emily discovered she was pregnant just days after Ricky passed away. (Heart-wrenching, it goes without saying.)

Emily’s decision to appear as The Bachelorette has left many people outraged. They’re wondering how she can be away from her daughter for so long during filming, and some are questioning if she’ll feature the little girl on air (a big no-no). They’re calling her a “fame whore” and arguing that moms really have no place on reality TV (never mind that mothers pretty much own reality TV). Then, of course, there are those who say why the hell not?

If there’s one silver lining here, it’s the fact that Emily Maynard is sweet and adorable and a total hottie. Assuming she doesn’t go all psycho on air, maybe she’ll at least prove that moms can be cool and desirable? Wishful thinking, I know. The words “Bachelorette” and “cool” don’t exactly go hand in hand…. But, then again, crazier things have happened. Truth be told, I’d rather Emily be a portrait of motherhood over those Real Housewives or desperate Dance Moms any day of the week.

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