Season 19 of The Bachelorette has whizzed by, and somehow we’ve already reached Hometowns. Time sure does fly when you’re having fun! But … are we having fun? Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey are leading the franchise’s first dual-bachelorette season, and the change to The Bachelorette’s format has resulted in chaos, confusion and plenty of tears. Both women are on an emotional journey, but Recchia in particular seemed to really struggle in the earlier weeks, saying more than once that she was ready to leave the show. The bachelorette spoke with CinemaBlend about those moments and told us how close she actually came to throwing in the towel.
There were plenty of reasons people were nervous about a two-lead Bachelorette season, and one was the inevitable rejection the women would face if they liked a guy who was more attracted to the other woman. Rachel Recchia took a (metaphorical) punch to the gut when three men declined her roses in Week 3 in hopes of receiving one from Gabby Windey. She also had to confront her guys after she felt like they weren’t fighting for time with her. These tough moments led Recchia to doubt herself and question if she wanted to continue on the show. So just how close did she come to quitting? She told CinemaBlend:
I think ultimately those were just really low moments. People saw things immediately after they happened, that really raw emotion, but I always had this amazing group of guys waiting for me, and ultimately, I knew I would never sacrifice that. They’re just seeing me being really in touch with some hard emotion in the moment.
Rachel Recchia’s hopeful fast-track to an engagement had some tough moments, but it seems like she never really would have walked away from the opportunity. So while it was hard for her — and us at home watching her question her self worth — she said she always maintained her faith in the men who were there for her. Also, those low moments were often followed by somebody going out of their way to lift her spirits, which surely helped to boost her confidence again.
The bachelorette said what fans saw was just her real emotion, and she did have to overcome obstacles that caused some insecurities. So while it doesn’t sound like Rachel Recchia actually would have walked off of The Bachelorette, those were her honest thoughts in the moment. Recchia continued:
What people are really seeing in those low moments are just me feeling a little insecure and being completely honest. I think what people forget is that we are human and we have human emotion, and when you have all these roadblocks hitting you at once, you do start to question things. But ultimately I think people can just understand that emotion is just OK and that we’re just being as honest as we can.
Rachel Recchia is definitely entitled to all of the feelings she had as she traveled down this road, and it’s nice that she and Gabby Windey had each other’s backs for continued support. With only seven guys remaining (four on Team Rachel, three on Team Gabby), there’s no turning back now! We’re headed to Hometowns at 8 p.m. ET Monday, August 22 on ABC but, if you can't stand the suspense any longer, you can read our spoilers on how Gabby and Rachel’s season is rumored to end.
