Fans are very excited for the premiere of The Bachelorette season 19, where two bachelorettes, Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey, will compete for love on the ABC hit show. Both Rachel and Gabby were two of the three finalists vying for Clayton Echard’s heart on The Bachelor season 26, whose devastating ending left them both heartbroken. The spiral downward started when Clayton confessed his love to all three of the last women standing—Gabby, Rachel, and Susie Evans—leading them each to believe they’d be claiming his final rose.
Susie left in tears after learning that Clayton had done this and had also been intimate with Gabby and Rachel. Then when he divulged the same uncomfortable truth to the final two, they collapsed in tears as well. Gabby chose to leave, but Clayton begged her to stay, only to break her heart once again after admitting he loved Susie the most. Viewers were shocked to learn that Susie was still in Iceland after leaving Clayton, and the bachelor seized the opportunity to win her back, which he did. The final episode of The Bachelor showed the new couple in love and also revealed that both Rachel and Gabby will be the next two ladies to capture mens' hearts on The Bachelorette.
This concept might sound familiar to viewers. On The Bachelorette season 11, both Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nilsson were chosen as bachelorettes. Kaitlyn and Britt appeared on Chris Soules’ season of The Bachelor and became fan favorites. The difference in their dual bachelorette roles in season 11 is that it was set up so one would stay and one would go. In the first episode, the men got to know the candidates and voted on which one they wanted to remain as the bachelorette. During episode 2, it was announced that Kaitlyn would be the only lead.
Although ABC has not revealed how The Bachelorette season 19 will work with two leading ladies, the network has made it clear that both Rachel and Gabby will compete for the men’s love. Viewers want to see these two bachelorettes find their happily ever after and are so excited to watch their love journey 2.0. However, all of Bachelor Nation is curious whether this means they will double date or date alone, and they wonder how the episodes will be split between the two bachelorettes. Viewers also can’t help but wonder what will happen if Gabby and Rachel fall for the same man. In fact, that’s exactly what happened on their recent sojourn on Clayton’s season of The Bachelor.
Although the logistics have not yet been revealed, viewers can only hope these two deserving ladies get their happy endings. Although Rachel and Gabby bonded out of shared broken hearts over Clayton, they have vastly different personalities and perhaps that will lead them toward different men. The new Bachelorette leads will likely bond even more once their second love journey begins, and hopefully, a man will not come between their blossoming friendship.