ABC today
released the transcript of a conference call held with reporters and the three
principals from The Bachelorette – Emily Maynard, her fiancé, Jef Holm, and the
final rejected bachelor, Arie Luyendyk.
As they did
on “After the Final Rose” this past Sunday night, they talked about the usual,
how in love Emily and Jef are, how he’s moving to Charlotte and how Arie tried
to visit Emily after the show wrapped.
(He flew to Charlotte hoping to see her, but ended up only leaving his
journal for her to read, which she didn’t.)
A few more
interesting tidbits did emerge, however.
For one, the ring given to Emily by Jef is a platinum and diamond ring
set with a central emerald-cut diamond weighing 2.5 carats. It's accented
with 87 smaller round-cut diamonds and the approximate total weight is 3.5
carats.
Emily
adamantly denied reports from RadarOnline that she’s bucking for a spin-off
show that will document her wedding planning and the event itself.
“I have no
interest in ever doing any spin-off show or anything like that,” said Maynard.
“I don't know how that got started but it's certainly not true. I
have been looking forward to the day that I get to go back to normal and not
have to worry about cameras or anything like that and Jef and I can just be two
people who fell in love on a show and left that behind us.”
Lindsey
DiMattina, a reporter from Hollywood.com, had the audacity to ask the most
personal of questions, saying she was wondering if the two have had “the chance
to spend some intimate, private time together since the show has ended and how
that's gone?”
Maynard’s
response: “Well, I mean, we didn't spend the night together on the show but we
have weekends where we get to spend the whole weekend together, and we're
engaged. So, yeah. Thanks.”
The two
also said they’ve learned a lot about each other since the show has ended. Emily said she hadn’t realized how many
great friends Jef has and how close he is to them.
Jef said, “she
just continues to surprise me with how good of a mom she is and now nice she is
to everyone. It wasn't really much of a surprise, but it's just shocking
with how patient she is with everything.”
Emily also
revealed that she has now met Jef’s mother, but not his father.
“I got to
meet Jef's mom the other night, the night after the final rose,” she said.
“It was a surprise for me. I didn't even know she was going to be
there, but she was so sweet, I mean, just amazing and couldn't have been nicer,
and I got to talk to his dad on the phone and he was the same, just could not
be nicer, more down to Earth.”
They rejected the idea that Jef’s Mormon background could pose a problem
for them.
The two
will live in Charlotte. Jef says
he’s looking for apartments and expects to move in early August.
Also
planned is a trip to Africa for humanitarian work, something Emily has said she
has wanted to do, and something that ties in with Jef’s company, People Water,
that sells bottled water with proceeds helping to build wells in underdeveloped
countries.
They also
plan to meet the family of Ricky Hendrick, Emily’s fiancé and father to her
daughter, who passed away. Emily
said she continues to have a great relationship with the family.
“The
Hendricks are just like my own family. I love them like my mom and dad
and they love me just like a daughter, and I've been very close with them for a
lot of years and they've seen me go through ups and downs and they want to meet
anybody who makes me happy, and Jef does. So, this is our first day even
allowed out in public, so - and we've been in New York doing media all day, so
I'm sure that meeting will happen soon,” she said.
Both Emily
and Jef suggested that they’d endorse both Arie Luyendyk and Sean Lowe (the
blonde) as the next "Bachelor" on ABC.
“I mean, I
think I had the best group of guys in the history of the show. I think
that a lot of the guys from my season would be great. I think that Sean
would be great. I think Arie would be great. I also think somebody
new would be fun, too, so there's lots of options,” said Emily.
Following
the conversation with Emily and Jef, Arie spoke to reporters. He said he was okay with the way he was
portrayed on the show, but mentioned again that there seemed to be an emphasis
on the physical attraction between him and Emily.
“Although
the live show was very nerve-wracking for me, I feel like it went well and I
got to explain what happened post-show and I was happy with it,” he said.
He reiterated that he had a great relationship with Jef , which made the break-up easier for him,
and said he’d actually be open to being Best Man at their wedding.
Sigh! [Sarcasm]
