After widespread rumors and reports all but made it official without ABC's say-so, the network came out with a press release today revealing that Emily Maynard, the 25-year-old single mother who broke off her engagement to Brad Womack after The Bachelor season 15, will take up the Bachelorette torch this summer.

The timing of the announcement is interesting, given that Ben Flajnik's Bachelor season hasn't even reached its half-way point on air. In recent years, the network has held off until after the previous season to announce the star of the next -- probably because it's typically one of the previous season's final rejects who gets the gig.

So the fact that ABC signed Emily before any of Ben's women even had a real shot to win over America doesn't bode well for the rest of Ben's season. Are Ben's ladies really that boring (or worse, unlikable), or is Emily is just that magical in the eyes of the network?

Either way, the unspoken (and arguable better) consolation prize from this season of The Bachelor just got snatched right out from under Ben's ladies, and I imagine there are a few who aren't too pleased to hear this news today. (First Shawntel, and now Emily. Those Bachelor season 15 women just won't go away, will they?)

But ABC hopes you'll be pleased when you see this press release teasing Emily's upcoming season -- and that you'll nominate your hot, single, loving, gentlemanly selves or friends to compete for her heart:

Emily Maynard, the beautiful, sweet, young mom who captured America's and Brad Womack's heart on the 15th season of "The Bachelor," finally thought she had her happy ending. She accepted Brad's proposal and was looking forward to walking down the aisle. Unfortunately her relationship with Brad ended, along with her dream of moving to Austin with her daughter, Ricki, and starting a family. But Emily is ready for her luck to change and to bring her the love she so richly deserves. It's hard to meet men as a single mom, but Emily will have her pick of 25 bachelors when she gets a second opportunity to find love starring in the eighth edition of "The Bachelorette" when it premieres this spring on the ABC Television Network.

Emily, 25, led a tragic but fulfilling life before meeting Brad. In 2004 she became engaged to famed NASCAR driver and team owner Ricky Hendrick. Sadly Hendrick died in a plane crash in October, 2004, leaving his fiancée pregnant with their child. The apple of Emily's eye and legacy of their love, Josephine Riddick "Ricki" Hendrick was born June 29, 2005.

Instantly popular with "Bachelor" fans, Emily's strength, passion and southern charm - as a mother and as a woman - would make anyone happy to make her his wife. She found love again with Brad and, even though it didn't work out, she knows that the series can work. Among those 25 men, she is looking for someone who makes her laugh, doesn't take himself too seriously and can be her best friend. Emily is hoping that the third time is the charm.

Emily feels incredibly grateful to have found her first love when she was very young, and despite not having dated a lot, knows what it's like to be truly in love. In the past seven years, she has been looking for someone with the same spark she has for life, and she believes that she will find her soul mate on 'The Bachelorette.'

What's not included in this press release is Reality Steve's report that ABC has agreed to move next season (or at least the beginning of it) to Charlotte, North Carolina to accommodate Emily and her daughter.

And there's another name missing from the press release, though, now that the news is official, you can be sure you'll see it pop up a lot between now and May: Bentley Williams. Yes, knowing The Bachelor as well as we do, it seems only a matter of time before ABC brings back last season's #1 villain, who made it all too well-known that he wanted to compete for Emily rather than Ashley, to vie for Ms. Maynard's attention. We'd be a lot happier forgetting that he ever existed, and we hope that, given how earnestly the network just said that they and America want Emily to find love, they wouldn't pull such a despicable stunt out of their hat.

But somehow that just makes us even more sure that they will.

Thoughts on ABC's official announcement that Emily's the next Bachelorette? How do you think her season will compare to past Bachelorette seasons, or Ben's current Bachelor season? Better/worse?

(Image courtesy of ABC)