Hayden Panettiere is going to be a bigger presence on the upcoming third season of “Nashville” — literally — now that she and fiancé Wladimir Klitschko are expecting their first child.
The news has fans of ABC’s country music soap wondering how the show will deal with the sure-to-arrive baby bump. There’s always a chance that Panettiere’s Juliette Barnes will be forced to go the old hiding-behind-pillows and empire-waist-tops route. But we’d like to think the “Nashville” showrunners will embrace the bump.
Here are seven characters on the show who could be Juliette’s baby daddy.
Avery Barkley (Jonathan Jackson)
Jeff Fordham (Oliver Hudson)
Speaking of cheating, it would also be plausible that Juliette forgot to wrap it up when she got her freak on with her biggest enemy, record exec Jeff Fordham. She could then use the baby to blackmail him into leaving her alone.
Teddy Conrad (Eric Close)
Juliette loves a good fight with frenemy and current boss Rayna James (Connie Britton). If Rayna tries to push Juliette’s new record in a direction she doesn’t like, Juliette could get back at her by shacking up with Rayna’s ex-husban, Teddy.
Charles Wentworth (Charlie Bewley)
He’s hot as Hades and like candy to Juliette. It seems only a matter of time before they hit the sack again. We wouldn’t put it past him to try to legitimize the relationship by getting her pregnant — by switching out her birth control with placebos.
Deacon Claybourne (Chip Esten)
If Rayna chooses Luke Wheeler (boooo!), Deacon’s going to be real sad. Maybe he’ll go on another bender, and the only thing that will save him is hot, unprotected sex with Rayna’s rival, Juliette.
Will Lexington (Chris Carmack)
If Will is about to be outed by his reality show, what better way for him to cover up his sexuality than by cheating on his wife and impregnating another country star? Just imagine the tabloid covers!
Glenn Goodman (Ed Amatrudo)
Most people don’t like Juliette, but at least they aren’t on the payroll. As her manager, Goodman pretty much just does whatever Juliette wants. Should she decide she wants a baby ASAP, Goodman could be forced into donating his DNA.
Luke Bryan (Luke Bryan)
But our dream pick is that Luke Bryan joins the cast to star as himself in his signature tight jeans. They’ll meet at a charity event, do the nasty in the bathroom, fall in love and make sweet country music for the rest of their lives.