Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia’s Season 19 of ‘The Bachelorette’: Everything We Know

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia's Season 19 of 'The Bachelorette': Everything We Know

Two Bachelorettes are better than one! For season 19 of the ABC dating series, Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia will embark on a journey to find love — at the same time. Host Jesse Palmer announced the news during the After the Final Rose special that aired following the finale of Clayton Echard's season of The Bachelor in March. It marks the first time in Bachelor Nation history that two leads will appear for the entirety of a season. Bachelorette viewers immediately began to wonder how the process will work, but even the new leads don't know. "Everyone keeps asking," Gabby, 31, said during a March interview on Good Morning America. "We just got thrown in. But I have faith and a lot of trust and I love Rachel to death and I know we're gonna have each other's backs the whole way, so there's really not a doubt in my mind that it's gonna end up well." [jwplayer oW9c0fOb-zhNYySv2] The ICU nurse and Rachel, 26, were both finalists on season 26 of The Bachelor, but their romances with Clayton, 28, fell apart after he confessed that he fell in love with both of them as well as Susie Evans. Gabby and the flight instructor both agreed to give the former football player another chance, but he later revealed that he couldn't stop thinking about Susie, also 28, during the fantasy suites episode. Both Rachel and Gabby didn't hold back during After the Final Rose, telling Clayton they felt that he couldn't possibly have been in love with all three of his finalists. "You told me that I was the first person that you said ‘I love you’ to in six years. I had no reason to ever doubt you,” Rachel told him. “So did you tell me that you were in love with me because you wanted to sleep with me?” The Bachelorette alum denied her accusation, but the Florida native said she didn't really think he was in love with her before the duo's night in the fantasy suite. "That was a surprising comment,” Clayton exclusively told Us Weekly after the finale aired. “I don’t want to take that away from her. … I said, ‘No.’ And she said, ‘Well, I don’t believe it.’ There’s nothing more I could say besides, ‘OK,’ at that point. If there’s one day down the road that she wants to have a candid conversation and talk more in-depth about the entire thing, I would certainly give that to her. I think I do owe it to both of them — if they would like to — but if they don’t want to hear anything else come out of my mouth, they shouldn’t feel that they need to give me that ability to explain myself.” Gabby, for her part, told Clayton that she thought he forced the women to vie for his love in a way that felt outside the bounds of a normal Bachelor season. "Watching it back, everything is so muddled, and you are clearly pitting us against each other,” the Colorado native said. “It really seems like a competition, which I had expressed to you that I didn't want to be a part of.” Keep scrolling more details on The Bachelorette season 19. [podcast_block]

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia's Season 19 of 'The Bachelorette': Everything We Know

Two Bachelorettes are better than one! For season 19 of the ABC dating series, Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia will embark on a journey to find love — at the same time. Host Jesse Palmer announced the news during the After the Final Rose special that aired following the finale of Clayton Echard's season of The Bachelor in March. It marks the first time in Bachelor Nation history that two leads will appear for the entirety of a season. Bachelorette viewers immediately began to wonder how the process will work, but even the new leads don't know. "Everyone keeps asking," Gabby, 31, said during a March interview on Good Morning America. "We just got thrown in. But I have faith and a lot of trust and I love Rachel to death and I know we're gonna have each other's backs the whole way, so there's really not a doubt in my mind that it's gonna end up well." [jwplayer oW9c0fOb-zhNYySv2] The ICU nurse and Rachel, 26, were both finalists on season 26 of The Bachelor, but their romances with Clayton, 28, fell apart after he confessed that he fell in love with both of them as well as Susie Evans. Gabby and the flight instructor both agreed to give the former football player another chance, but he later revealed that he couldn't stop thinking about Susie, also 28, during the fantasy suites episode. Both Rachel and Gabby didn't hold back during After the Final Rose, telling Clayton they felt that he couldn't possibly have been in love with all three of his finalists. "You told me that I was the first person that you said ‘I love you’ to in six years. I had no reason to ever doubt you,” Rachel told him. “So did you tell me that you were in love with me because you wanted to sleep with me?” The Bachelorette alum denied her accusation, but the Florida native said she didn't really think he was in love with her before the duo's night in the fantasy suite. "That was a surprising comment,” Clayton exclusively told Us Weekly after the finale aired. “I don’t want to take that away from her. … I said, ‘No.’ And she said, ‘Well, I don’t believe it.’ There’s nothing more I could say besides, ‘OK,’ at that point. If there’s one day down the road that she wants to have a candid conversation and talk more in-depth about the entire thing, I would certainly give that to her. I think I do owe it to both of them — if they would like to — but if they don’t want to hear anything else come out of my mouth, they shouldn’t feel that they need to give me that ability to explain myself.” Gabby, for her part, told Clayton that she thought he forced the women to vie for his love in a way that felt outside the bounds of a normal Bachelor season. "Watching it back, everything is so muddled, and you are clearly pitting us against each other,” the Colorado native said. “It really seems like a competition, which I had expressed to you that I didn't want to be a part of.” Keep scrolling more details on The Bachelorette season 19. [podcast_block]

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

The Leads

Rachel is a pilot from Clermont, Florida, who loves the Harry Potter book series and Flamin' Hot Cheetos. She grew up in Chicago and moved to Florida as a teen, but she's still a fan of the Cubs baseball team. She graduated from Ohio University, where she was a cheerleader.

Gabby is an ICU nurse from Denver, Colorado, who was previously a cheerleader for the Denver Broncos. In 2021, she became the first woman to win the Pop Warner Humanitarian Award, which is usually given to football players. During college, she dated Bachelor in Paradise alum Dean Unglert.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

What They're Looking For

"As a hopeless romantic, Rachel is looking for someone who is as playful, passionate and spontaneous as she is," the pilot's ABC bio reads. "He should be nurturing, empathetic and MUST be respectful in all facets of life – to her, to family, and especially to waiters. In the end, Rachel wants to find crazy, insane love that makes sense to no one else but her and her soul mate."

During After the Final Rose, Gabby said that she's hoping to find a partner who's "emotionally intelligent, mature, who can challenge" her — and also has a good sense of humor.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

What Clayton Thinks

Ahead of the season 26 Bachelor finale, Clayton exclusively told Us that he didn't want to choose which of his former contestants should be the next Bachelorette. "I was blessed to have a phenomenal bunch of women that were there with me along that journey, and I think you could make an argument for a great deal of them,” he explained. “I can't really, nor would I feel comfortable, though, giving one person my bit of approval. There's a lot of women that I think would do a phenomenal job.”

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

The Premiere Date

Season 19 will premiere on ABC Monday, July 11, at 8 p.m. ET.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Jesse's Back

The former Bachelor, 43, confirmed that he'll return to host the new season. "With every ending, comes a new beginning," he wrote via Instagram in March. "So excited for @gabby.windey and @pilot.rachel our new BACHELORETTES!!! 🌹🌹 Both are STRONG, SMART, AMAZING and equally DESERVING!!! Can’t wait to join them on their journey to find LOVE!!!" 

Credit: ABC/Ricky Middlesworth (2)

The Format

In March, The Bachelorette creator Mike Fleiss reassured viewers that the shakeup doesn't mean Rachel and Gabby will be at odds.

"I love Gabby and Rachel but there's no way this doesn't pit these two against each other," one fan tweeted at the time. "Every guy is gonna be asked the same question 'who do you like more!'"

Fleiss replied: "Not true! You'll see…"

According to former Bachelor Nick Viall, the women will have options to date all the men.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

The Filming Schedule

Production on season 19 is reportedly set to begin in the second to last week of March, which is standard for the spinoff. Gabby and Rachel shared a joint Instagram post on March 21 before they signed offline to start shooting.

“Started from the bottom (of the stairs) now we’re here,” the post read, referring to Rachel crying over Clayton at the “rose ceremony from hell” on season 26. “We couldn’t be more excited to have each other on this journey to find love 💕#thebachelorette.”

Credit: ABC/The Bachelorette on Facebook (3)

The Cast

ABC revealed the 32 men who will by vying for Rachel and Gabby's hearts on June 7. The cast includes a wedding photographer, a self-proclaimed meatball enthusiast and a drag racer. 

Credit: Courtesy of Jesse Palmer/Instagram

1st Night Complete

Palmer and Fleiss teased the “longest” night of Gabby and Rachel’s Bachelorette journey had concluded on March 27 with a series of behind-the-scenes social media uploads.

Credit: Courtesy Mike Fleiss/Twitter

Ready to Begin

“Looks like they’re still not over Clayton,” Fleiss jokingly tweeted in March, alongside a photo of the dual Bachelorettes driving in an open-air Jeep.

Credit: Courtesy of Mike Fleiss/Twitter

Bachelorette Besties

"See, no drama… Just two friends helping each other find true love! Exclusive international photo!!!" Fleiss tweeted in April alongside a snap of the leads smiling on set.

Credit: Courtesy of Mike Fleiss/Twitter

They're Going to Paris

"The Space Needle has never looked more beautiful!" Fleiss tweeted in April alongside a photo of the two Bachelorettes in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, indicating that filming has progressed to the international travel portion of the season.

Credit: Courtesy of Mike Fleiss/Twitter

Every Angle

Fleiss gave fans a glimpse of the camera setup at Bachelor Mansion in April.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Debut Looks

In April, ABC revealed a photo of Gabby and Rachel in their evening looks for their first night as Bachelorettes. Rachel chose a cream-colored gown with a dramatic split up one side, while Gabby opted for a sparkling black dress with a plunging V-neck. "These night one looks are SERVING, besties!" the show's official account tweeted.

Credit: ABC

Poster Reveal

“We're going petal to the metal with Gabby Windey and @pilot__rachel this season on #TheBachelorette!” ABC announced on June 3 via Twitter, unveiling the first look at season 19’s official poster. The promo showed the two ladies wearing rose-printed dressed while driving together in a red convertible along the coast. “Two best friends. One unbelievable season,” the tagline read.

Credit: ABC/Ricky Middlesworth

Who Didn't Make the Cut?

Palmer revealed during a TikTok Live event on Tuesday, June 7 that the list of potential suitors was finalized. After announcing that Corbin S., Koy S., and Nick G didn't make the final cut, he introduced the 32 remaining constants who would be officially vying for Recchia and Windey’s hearts.  

Credit: John Salangsang/Shutterstock

The Cruise Ship

Nick confirmed in June that some of the season was shot on a boat.

“They said it was hell to film because they decided to have to Bachelorettes, like, last second. So the scheduling was for one Bachelorette. They had to jam it all in,” he claimed on his “Viall Files” podcast. “And then I asked, I’m like, ‘What if it goes really well, like, this is a hit?’ … The people I talk to, they hope they never do it again. Just because of the logistics. I think, a cruise ship probably was the challenge.”