by Gina Scarpa

 

On Monday night, Emily Maynard will take a second chance at finding love on reality tv when ABC unveils their latest season of The Bachelorette. Yet, this season will feel a little different, what with Emily's daughter factoring into the equation as well the show taking place in Emily's hometown of Charlotte, NC. Her 25 potential suitors wil arrive via limo (with the exception of one helicopter), knowing who The Bachelorette is and hope to make a long lasting impression on the Southern belle.  Today, Chris Harrison talked to RealityWanted and reporters in a press conference call to give a little insight into the upcoming season.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Given that Emily is a single mom, is the vibe of this season of The Bachelorette different than others before it?
A. Chris: Yeah I mean, the great thing about the show is that every season has a different vibe. You take cues from The Bachelor or Bachelorette. Emily's season is drastically different. Her being a single mom changed the tone from night one. The guys all came in knowing it was Emily and wanting it to be Emily. They had to know that she's looking at this through a very different light, as a parent. That changes everything. Throughout the show, there was always just that underlying aspect that she's a mom and is this guy ready? It's not just finding love and a husband, but hopefully finding a father.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You mentioned the men knowing that it was Emily this season. How does that play into relationships forming, given that some of them know so much about Emily and she knows very little about them?
A. Chris: I mean, it definitely changes it when they know. You don't have that moment of getting out of the limo and saying, "Who is this? Am I attracted to them" which is kind of fun sometimes. I think it's interesting that we do that but Emily had already captured their attention and imagination. You're already over that first hurdle and you're on to just trying to see, "Is there something there beyond that initial attraction?"

 

Q. This season, you have a former racecar driver. Are you going for the drama when casting?
A. Chris: People need to understand that Emily loves the track. She loves racing and that is a huge part of her life. Not to go into the history of what happened, Ricky died on a racetrack but she has very fond memories of racing. People also need to understand that NASCAR and open wheel racing might as well be two different sports. You really can't compare what Arie does for a living to the NASCAR world. She embraces that and she loves it.

 

Q. What kind of drama are we going to see this season?
A. Chris: It's just a very different season with very different drama. You don't have the frat house humor and drama that maybe you've seen in seasons past with younger contestants. I liken it to Jason Mesnick's season. There's a much more serious tone. Calling it drama almost doesn't do it justice. Emily's trying to figure out if these guys are right to start a family with. I think it's not the superficial drama that maybe you've seen. It's much deeper.

 

Q. I read that Emily was hesitant and not 100% sure if she wanted to do this. What made her change her mind?
A. Chris: I know she was reluctant and hesitant and everyone should be, jumping into this, and as a single mom should be. You're making decisions for your child and a lot of it was, "How do we handle Ricki and how will she be shown?" But these people come back because they know it works. It did work for her in finding Brad. Obviously, it didn't work out but she knows that the concept works. I was proud that a single mom came back. It spoke volumes that she decided, "This is a good place and a safe place for me and my daughter to come back to."

 

Q. You mentioned Jason Mesnick, who was as single dad, and now we have Emily, who is the first single mom as The Bachelorette. What kind of guy is a good fit for Emily?
A. Chris: Jason, being a single dad, it was almost like Sleepless In Seattle. Everyone was like, "Ohhh... how sweet! A single dad!" When a woman was doing it, it was totally different. It was like, "How dare she?" How is that fair? I found it funny that that was the case. I love pushing those issues and raising that debate. Emily is a very Southern, traditional woman but very independent and strong. She really needs someone to help her out and drive the ship for a while. She's been doing it all for so long and she needs a strong man who can come in and help take control and take care of her and Ricki. She's been used to controlling everything. Someone that will love her, someone who will love Ricki, and meld into their life.

 

Q. There has been talk of the show filming in Emily's hometown in North Carolina but it seems like they ended up traveling.
A. Chris: We always had the plan. We usually start the first 3-4 weeks in Los Angeles but she has Ricki and didn't want to take her out of school. Not only did we start the show in Charlotte but we kept Emily in her home with Ricki. She continued her daily life and didn't have to jump out of her world for the first month or so. She knew we would still travel and then Ricki would come along from time to time. Behind the scenes, we have a traveling family, like a circus. My kids travel with me and other producers and camera operators... there's lot of kids and wives on the road with us. Ricki became part of the family.

 

Q. Emily said in a recent interview that she plans to be more reserved and she didn't plan to kiss a lot of guys. Did she express those wishes before the season began or did hot tubs mysteriously appear out of nowhere?
A. Chris: Hot tubs always mysteriously appear! No, this season is very different. The thing about Emily too is that she's not a crazy bungee jumping, sky diving kind of woman. She's a Southern gem who likes to wear high heels and dresses. We cater and accommodate to who our Bachelorette is. In Charlotte, early on, there's a building that we scale but it's very tame. You definitely cater to who they are. You don't bow down to their demands but we want her to be happy.

 

The Bachelorette premieres Monday, May 14th, at 8/7c on ABC.

 

(Image courtesy of ABC)

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa and "Like" her on Facebook!