Bill King here, filling in for Jen Matarese while she's away on maternity leave. She'll still be handling a lot of the blog, but I'll pick up the slack when she needs me to. That being said, we're less than a week away from the premiere of Emily Maynard's quest for love on The Bachelorette. Host Chris Harrison was available for an interview Wednesday, and he gave up some of the goods on the upcoming season.
As usual, we'll post the full transcript of the interview tomorrow, but for now, here's the highlights.
The big theme of the conference call was that this season will be VERY DIFFERENT from seasons past, mainly because of the whole single mom thing that Emily has going on. Chris says that because of little Josephine Riddick "Ricki" Hendrick, a lot of changes were made and whole tone of the show will have a new vibe to it. With a lot of the filming taking place in her hometown of Charlotte, Emily was allowed to keep her daily life pretty similar to how it is normally, even driving her daughter to soccer practice.
One of the main reasons that the crop of guys seems soooo much better than previous shows is that potential contestants were aware that Emily was the Bachelorette before they signed up. So no shocking surprises for the guys when they get out of the limo.
Chris says there is no frat house humor as there is with younger contestants who aren't parents, and since all the guys knew they could be potential stepdads, there are more layers and more things going on.
I asked if the crop of guys was a reflection of Emily's high standards and the fact that, outside of the show, Brad may have been too much of an "average Joe" for her tastes. He countered that Brad is actually more successful that most guys on the show. That being said, he admitted the level of guys this season is through the roof, but that just goes to show the type of guys who wanted to sign up FOR Emily. "She's a catch," he said. "Just to look at her, you know."
I also asked about the importance of the guys having kids themselves in the selection process, and Chris said that to Emily, kids not a deal breaker or deal maker. She knows that a guy who came in as a single dad would know her a little better and "get" her a little more. But he says the good thing about her is that she's very young and wants more kids and to start and/or continue the family. She's just looking to find that special someone.
He says Emily was reluctant to jump into this as a single mom, but after trying it in the real world, she didn't have much luck there either. He said her biggest insecurity is that this will fail as well, and then what? She really wants to find someone, and is also looking for a guy to come in and help her take her hands off the wheel for a bit.
She has said she wants to more reserved that other Bachelorettes, without as much kissing and no hot tubs. But will there really be no hot tubs? "Hot tubs always mysteriously appear," Chris said.
Emily, however is not the crazy, bungee jumping party girl. Chris describers her as a southern gem, who like to wear high heels and dresses. He says that while the show caters to the Bachelor or Bachelorette, the producers still like to take him or her out of any comfort zone.
Chris says that while there will be, as always, drama and surprises along the way, what people will love is that Emily is holding that banner of being a single mom high. He says viewers will say, "Damn girl, well done," throughout the season. She handles her business, giving the men enough rope to hang themselves, and some of them do. If a guy is not dad material or husband material, she apparently has no problem clearing the deck.
He says he is rooting for her like crazy, and that viewers will be roped in by seeing a very vulnerable side to her. He says she has a very sincere perspective of what she wants in life, and that even he didn't know her as well as he thought he did before this.
A few people had the cajones to ask Chris about his divorce from his wife, even asking if he would ever consider being the Bachelor. He responded by saying that getting out of a 22-year relationship, with two kids, and starting a new life doesnt' make him the idea candidate right now or anytime soon. To his credit, he gave props to the media and understands that his position as a public figure makes the end of his marriage a news story. In the day and age of Facebook, Twitter and other social media, he is happy with how everyone handled themselves.
Chris says the show is still in production. Someone asked if we will see overnight dates with Emily as the Bachelorette? His response? "Who knows? What's a single mother to do?" Guess we'll have to watch to find out. Tune in Monday night for the premiere, and check back tomorrow for the full transcript of the interview!
Not sure if I have to sign this Hugs, Kisses & Roses, but that's all for today.
Bill
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