**UPDATE** Reality Steve just posted the entire, scanned Us Weekly “Jef Holm and Emily Maynard fake relationship story” on his site, along with an email exchange he had with Jef’s ex, Kaylee Shepard, back in April and May, and his thoughts on which parts of the story may or may not be true and why. I found it to be a really interesting read. Plus, don’t we all love it when EVIDENCE is submitted and showcased?! Amazing!
A new scandal has emerged in the lives of Team JEM from Us Weekly. The rumor mills now claim Bachelorette Emily Maynard is paying Jef Holm to stay with her!
Sounds crazy but there is a source with a name: Kaylee Shepherd. And although Us Weekly runs a lot of bunk, our ears definitely do perk up when a source with an actual name is listed, as opposed to just an “insider says,” etc. But, considering this source with a name is Jef’s EX-girlfriend, one still has to take everything with a grain of salt.
Here’s the deal: Jef Holm’s ex-girlfriend claims the engagement is just a business deal now, which seems to line up with the allegations that Jef was caught texting his ex-girlfriend.
Shepherd claims Jef’s feelings were very real at the start but ended with the sexting scandal. (This may be why Jef’s brother took to the tabloids right after the sexting scandal emerged?) And, apparently, the two cut a business deal recently to save Emily’s reputation.
Jef’s ex claims:
“Emily told him ‘I’m so sorry’ and he said, ‘Well, we have two options: The first is I can go to the media and tell them the truth and let everyone know what you’re really like. Or two, I will deny the whole thing and you give me half the money you made from The Bachelorette.”
Damn!!!! If true, that is a serious situation! But as awesome as The Bachelorette is, let’s be honest, there is a lot of money involved. And if things go sour the person that didn’t get paid may be a bit bitter and want a cut. But, what doesn’t sit right with us regarding this particular nugget of intel is: Why on earth would Jef Holm “fake it” with Emily for….what? $150,000? As we reported here, the dude is RICH, so why would he jump through so many hoops, coach Little Ricki’s soccer team, pose in so many Instagram pics, etc…just to fake it for a measly $150k?
Kaylee Shepherd said Emily chose to pay because “she doesn’t want to be the girl who has been engaged three times, but it hasn’t worked out.” Well, Kaylee….unless Jef decides to “fake it” all the way through a wedding and a few years of fake-happy marriage, then Emily would still end up being (eventually) someone that was engaged three times without things working out, so….I am doubting that claim as well.
But, if this is true, is squeaky clean semi-Mormon Jef a sleazeball for demanding to be paid for his silence? He doesn’t think so. Allegedly, he said she: “strung me along and was talking to another guy the whole time.”
Kaylee claims the two did go to counseling, “but it didn’t work.”
Apparently Jef, 28, and Kaylee, 21, were dating just prior to the show (who does this remind you of?) She first met Jef in the summer of 2011 when the two were partying on a houseboat on Utah’s Lake Powell. “We hit it off quickly. He’s outgoing, confident and smooth,” but the next time she heard from the charismatic Dreamboat he was engaged!
According to her, he began texting her a few months after the show finished taping asking to meet her. That’s where he dropped the bombshell it’s “not what it looks like,” saying “I thought I was in love, I thought I had found the One, but things have changed.”
Shepherd also claims the two had a scandalous romp in a Utah hotel on September 16, where he admitted he and Emily had derived a scheme to cover up the sexting scandal to maintain her squeaky clean single soccer mom image, and in return she promised to split the “ABC treasure” with Holm.
He confided in Kaylee that, “their relationship isn’t what it seemed, it’s basically for TV,” … “He said, ‘If I was happily engaged, I would never have texted you.'”
In some ways, I can totally see this story line unfolding, as crazy as it sounds. It actually sounds like most relationships sans the media frenzy and the pressure to make it work. As much as we love Team JEM, I’ve always been more Team Jef. Emily did not appear evolved enough to me to handle the barrage of fame and media attention leading the show would bring. But, on the other hand, a lot of the pieces of information — namely, why would Jef even care about $150k — don’t really add up. If they are faking it, they are doing an awfully good job of it!
At the end of the day, we will reserve judgement until Reality Steve is able to confirm or deny the rumors using his legal wire tapping abilities, or until Chris Harrison breaks the news to us in a loveseat “serious situation” pose.
What do Jef and Emily have to say about the latest rumors? They laughed them off in this video from a red carpet event at the San Diego Film Festival.
