Emily Maynard's search for love will have a more European feel to it than prior The Bachelorette seasons.
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Despite the various locations, The Bachelorette's eighth season will begin in the single mom's hometown of Charlotte, NC with the 26-year-old former fifteenth-season The Bachelor bachelorette greeting her 25 eligible suitors at a southern mansion for the season's initial cocktail party after putting six-year-old daughter Ricki to bed.
Several of Maynard's bachelors will attempt to make memorable first impressions during their arrivals -- including a single dad who produces a glass slipper and proclaims her a princess, an entrepreneur who rides in on a skateboard, a party MC who breaks down into dance, and a southern gentleman who gives her something to symbolize how he'd protect her and Ricki.
In addition, Maynard will also encounter one suitor who makes a grand entrance in a helicopter and impresses The Bachelorette star but promotes jealousy in his fellow bachelors.
Once the cocktail party begins, the competition to impress Maynard only intensifies, as a "confident" charmer gets upstaged by a single dad of six with photos to show off, a "handsome" man gives her a pair of custom bobblehead dolls, a bachelor is nervous to explain his career because it may remind her of her late fiance, and another single father brings her a heartfelt letter from his 11-year-old son to read.
However, the mood becomes quite serious when host Chris Harrison arrives and reveals it's time for Maynard to present one of the men with a first impression rose. The men will become increasingly competitive, as a "tough-talking entertainer confronts the wealthy suitor who dropped in via helicopter accusing him of being selfish and insincere," according to ABC.
But Maynard will be able to ignore the tension when the skateboarder steals her away and impresses her with how "soft-spoken and self-confident" he acts. She'll then award the special rose to one "charming" bachelor -- a decision which won't surprise anybody.
The premiere will conclude with Maynard whittling her 25 bachelors down to 19.
According to the network, some of the U.S.-based dates Maynard and her bachelors will embark on include a solo date in which she takes a suitor to an exclusive red carpet event where they will enjoy a "romantic" dinner and a special concert by country band Gloriana, a group date in which the bachelors perform live for charity with The Muppets, a solo date featuring country singer Luke Bryan who serenades the couple after they scale a tall building, a group date in which 12 suitors get grilled by Maynard's friends while they're surrounded by children in a park, and a solo date in which she and a bachelor travel to Dollywood for a private Dolly Parton performance.
Maynard's around-the-world dates will include traveling to Bermuda where she must eliminate three bachelors before leaving; visiting London for a week where she'll receive a double-decker bus tour of Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park along with a solo dinner in the Tower of London; watching a group of suitors perform scenes from "Romeo and Juliet" in Stratford-on-Avon; traveling to Dubrovnik where she'lll watch Pixar's upocoming Brave movie and a group of bachelors will compete in a round of Highland games to win extra time with her; and going to Prague where Maynard and her remaining bachelors will enjoy a private dinner cruise down the Vltava River, explore a medieval castle, and check out the Lennon Wall of Love and a spooky dungeon.
The final three men will then have "exotic" overnight dates with Maynard in an undisclosed location. Afterward, her remaining two bachelors will meet her family and she will visit their hometowns, but according to ABC, "there are surprises in store for Emily that will shake her world."
Following its premiere, two-hour The Bachelorette eighth-season episodes will begin airing in their regular Mondays at 8PM ET/PT broadcast time slot on May 21.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
