The Bachelorette

Emily Maynard has been confirmed as The Bachelorette, a full six months before the summer premiere and well before filming has even begun on the new season.

While ABC has not officially announced that the 26-year-old North Carolinian will star on the show, it's been reported by People, EW, E! News and numerous others.

It's happening, and the casting was likely leaked early on purpose.

That's because Emily Maynard is a different kind of Bachelorette, and guys had better know what they're in for. Here's a little tip sheet for prospective suitors ...

• Ricki, Ricki, Ricki. Maynard and her 6-year-old daughter, are incredibly close. So much show that production is moving to their hometown of Charlotte, N.C. Any fellas coming on The Bachelorette are really wooing two women.

• The past matters. Maynard lost her fiance, NASCAR driver Ricky Hendrick, at age 19. Days after Ricky's death, Maynard learned she was pregnant. She named their only child after him, and remains close to his family.

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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?

By now, you've likely heard that Emily Maynard is The Bachelorette. Well, it turns out she's not the only big name from the ABC franchise getting a new gig.

The Bachelorette runner-up Chris Lambton, who turned down a chance to star as The Bachelor after Ali Fedotowsky turned him down, is getting his own show.

On HGTV. It's called Going Yard! Get it?! He's a landscaper!

In Going Yard, Lambton, the co-owner of his family landscaping company in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, will transform neglected backyards into spectacular spaces.

In each episode, he and his E. Lambton Landscaping team will trick out a homeowner's yard with such features as patios, arbors, water features and fire pits.

In addition, Lambton's fiance Peyton Wright (a fellow Bachelor album) will join the business, pitching in with design projects. Good for them is all we can say.

A fan favorite runner-up in season six of The Bachelorette, Chris Lambton was previously a math teacher and league championship-winning basketball coach.

"With his landscaping expertise and easygoing, approachable personality, Chris is an exciting addition to HGTV," said Kathleen Finch, HGTV general manager.

It looks like America's sweetheart is going back to the franchise that made her a quasi-star. Emily Maynard will be the star of The Bachelorette, according to reports!

"It's official, Emily is the new Bachelorette," an insider close to Emily tells Life & Style, which is not really official at all, but still. It's been reported previously as well.

Moreover, to accommodate Maynard, "ABC is even going to move filming to Charlotte [North Carolina, Emily's hometown]. It won't be in Los Angeles at all."

It's been reported that ABC asked her to star in the next season of the series, despite her reluctance in early discussions, in large part based on her daughter.

She had fans convinced she wasn't interested. Just last summer Emily Maynard wrote: "I don't want to be The Bachelorette." Perhaps she changed her mind?

Since ending her engagement with that stiff Brad Womack in May, the North Carolina stunner has been linked to Jeremy Shockey and Matt Nordgren.

She's denied dating both ... and has yet to confirm or deny that she's going back on The Bachelorette this time. Stay tuned for an official confirmation. Probably.

UPDATE: People and other more reliable sources have now confirmed that Maynard signed on! Surprising, but a good fit for the show, we have to say ... right?

UPDATE #2: Bentley Williams, who famously burned Ashley Hebert on her season of The Bachelorette by wooing her while admitting to cameras that he had hoped Emily was The Bachelorette instead, is interested in competing, according to People.

You tell us: Emily Maynard as The Bachelorette?

Kasey Kahl's arrest the other night allegedly came after he smashed a woman in the face at a nightclub. No, it was not Vienna Girardi ... but we wondered too.

The former Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad star was arrested early Sunday a.m. for drunk and disorderly conduct at Club Habano's nightclub in Fresno, Calif.

According to the police report, Kahl was accused of attacking a man named Richard Chaney outside the club ... then smashing Chaney's girlfriend in the face.

Cops say Renee Idsinga told them she and Cheney were leaving the club when a "very intoxicated" Kahl  began "talking s**t" and that she tried to break it up.

Chaney told cops Kahl had been running his mouth about having banged one of Renee's friends. No, he's not talking about Vienna Girardi there either, people.

Idsinga says her BF told Kahl to "stop being a d**k and stop talking to her" and that's when Kahl started striking Chaney several times in the face and head."

Idsinga told cops Kahl struck her in the face in the melee, causing her nose to bleed. She also admitted she scratched Kahl's neck in an effort to break it up.

Kahl admitted that he had "a lot" to drink but insisted he DID NOT instigate the fight. Instead, Kahl claimed, "It was self defense." He was arrested regardless.

The arresting officer noted, "Kahl made it a point to tell me that he was a celebrity on several shows including The Bachelor and Celebrity Couples Retreat.'"

Not true in either case, but point taken.

Kasey Kahl, a Z-list reality star best known for his stints in The Bachelorette, Bachelor Pad and Vienna Girardi, was arrested for being drunk and disorderly.

$h!t went down at a club in Fresno, Calif. Way to go man.

Law enforcement sources say Kahl was allegedly involved in an incident at a place called Club Habanos. So far, it's unclear what Kahl is accused of doing wrong.

He was definitely arrested though. Thanks to TMZ, we have this lovely photo, a new (and abnormally happy) addition to our celebrity mug shot gallery:

Kahl was booked at a nearby police station and released a few hours after this classic mugshot. Things couldn't have been too bad if he's smiling like that.

He just finished taping the inaugural season of VH1's upcoming Relationship Rehab with - you guessed it - former life partner/soulmate Vienna Girardi.

This is the last you'll hear of either of them until that show premieres ... probably. They're like bad pennies the way they always turn up somewhere.

The women of The Bachelorette? Not unattractive.

With a new season of The Bachelor underway, it's only fitting, sort of, that three well-known cast members who went on to dole out the roses themselves cover In Touch Weekly, baring their bikini bodies and sharing their weight loss plans and tips.

Okay, it makes no sense. But who's complaining?

Ashley Hebert, who dispatched current Bachelor Ben Flajnik last summer, is prepping for her wedding to JP Rosenbaum with a low-carb diet. Sounds amazing.

Ali Fedotowsky, now single and ready to mingle after calling off her engagement to Roberto Martinez, is targeting thigh and butt jiggle. It looks well targeted.

Trista Sutter, the standard bearer for successful relationships spawned by a nonsensical reality show, still looks amazing - yet is contemplating a boob job.

Not that she needs it and not that you can believe anything you read in In Touch, but that's all we've got for now. Just sit back and enjoy the bikini photos.

After Brad Womack famously selected no one in his first stint as The Bachelor, the Texas bar owner was brought back for a second go-around last winter.

He got engaged to Emily Maynard, but that fizzled out before long. Now it's Emily being sought by ABC to return for another stint on the reality franchise.

In fact, the network has already asked her to be The Bachelorette, sources say, and despite her earlier lack of interest, "It's basically a done deal." Wow.

Another source close to Emily Maynard, the single mom of six-year-old Ricki, tells Life & Style that while "she hasn't signed the contract yet, she's fully on board."

Since splitting with Brad in May after becoming engaged to him on The Bachelor season finale, the North Carolina product has been linked to various men.

Jeremy Shockey of the NFL's Carolina Panthers and Most Eligible Dallas cast member Matt Nordgren come to mind, though she has denied seriously dating either.

Perhaps the allure of being The Bachelorette grew on her. "Emily is America's sweetheart," adds the source. "Fans will be thrilled! Everyone loved her."

True. If Emily doesn't pan out, look for a castoff from Ben Flajnik's season to fill the role (The Bachelor spoilers we've read single out a few prospects).

What do you think: Should Emily Maynard be The Bachelorette?

Gotta love The Bachelorette rumor mill.

With Emily Maynard and Jeremy Shockey apparently no longer together, and Vienna Girardi and Kasey Kahl splitting up, Emily and Kasey must be an item, right?

Of course, if you believe In Touch Weekly ... which proclaims Emily is now dating Vienna's ex. They could mean a different ex, too, of course. Girlfriend gets around.

Whoever it is she's dating ... she's not. No way she would want Kasey or anyone tied to Vienna guarding and protecting anything. Emily also denied it on Twitter.

Just listen to the North Carolina cutie herself:

Emily Maynard: “Seriously? You'd think that with all the guys the mags say I'm dating I'd have some help with my Xmas lights! #stillnottrue #stillsingle.”

Now that's hard to believe. Emily can't get help with her Christmas lights? Do you realize how hot this woman is? What is wrong with the men of Charlotte?

We've been hearing rumblings that, following her breakup with Brad Womack, her quest for love may continue as the star of The Bachelorette next year.

Repeat, that's just a rumor. Unlike In Touch, we'll call celebrity gossip what it is and not label it as fact. But we hear they are trying to woo Emily again.

The sticking point? Her daughter Ricki. As a single mom, we don't see it happening, but will they come up with a better catch among Ben Flajnik castoffs?

Should Emily be the next Bachelorette?

After meeting fiance Roberto Martinez on The Bachelorette, then experiencing an epic courtship, Ali Fedotowsky said she was ready to marry him, and quickly.

Fast forward a year and a half, and it's over.

The pair had a nice run by Bachelorette standards (18 months qualifies as a long-term relationship by any measure), but she broke up with Roberto last week.

Now, in People's new cover story, Ali explains why.

"I wouldn't be being truthful if I said this came out of nowhere," a tearful Fedotowsky said, reflecting on the rocky times she and Roberto endured of late.

"We definitely were having problems. But I always believed we could work it out."

Despite putting the brakes on their fast-tracked wedding plans last year, and then twice more postponing plans to walk down the aisle with Roberto, Ali says they did make a concerted effort to stay together and to weather the tough times.

In spite of that, their arguments continued, and worsened at that.

"We both realized we were unhappy more than we were happy," says Ali, in a candid take of a romance born on a show so often phony. "And we both deserved more"

[Photo: WENN.com]