Much about The Bachelorette Season 19 has felt rushed or crammed in, as the ABC show has followed the journey of not one, but two women searching for their soulmates. However, when Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia traveled to their remaining suitors’ hometowns for the episode that aired August 22, viewers actually got to spend some quality time with the families, and that was especially precious for the family of Erich Schwer. Days ahead of the Season 19 premiere, the fam's patriarch Allan R. Schwer passed away after a long battle with cancer, and Bachelor Nation rallied around the contestant following Monday’s airing of his date with Windey.
During the Hometown episode, Erich Schwer explained that his father’s appendiceal cancer was terminal, and Allan Schwer told Gabby Windey and his son that he’d been in ICU for around 40 days ahead of their date being filmed. Allan Schwer later died at the age of 65 on July 6, just five days before the premiere of The Bachelorette, per People. Following Monday's broadcast, Erich Schwer posted some photos to Instagram in memory of his father:
A couple of Erich Schwer’s fellow castmates showed their support in the comments section of the post:
- Logan Palmer: he raised a good man
- James “Meatball” Clarke: ❤️❤️❤️ love guy my guy!
Gabby Windey may have been the bachelorette who was dating Erich Schwer, but the contestant received some supportive words from Windey's co-lead Rachel Recchia on Twitter:
My heart and prayers go out to the Schwer family 🤍🤍🤍August 23, 2022
Host Jesse Palmer also weighed in while tweeting during the episode. It was pretty apparent to all who saw the date just how big of a deal it was that Allan Schwer was able to take part in the visit. Palmer said:
This one meant a lot to Erich ❤️ #thebachelorette #BachelorNationAugust 23, 2022
While Allan Schwer didn’t sugarcoat the struggles he’d been through, he was complimentary of his own ICU nurses when he spoke to ICU nurse Gabby Windey. Allan told his son’s girlfriend:
But I'm still here. I'm happy. I'm positive, so that's good. I really admire the ICU nurses. They're so sharp.
After Allan Schwer’s passing earlier in the summer, Erich shared a thankful and loving Instagram post honoring his father, sharing how much he'll be missed.
Because there were seven Hometown dates to get to, rather than the usual four, it’s especially surprising that we got to know as much as we did about not just Erich Schwer’s family, but other loved ones as well. However, Rachel Recchia didn’t even make it to all of her Hometown dates. Tyler Norris was eliminated before he had a chance to bring her home, and Aven Jones’ date will apparently air in the August 29 episode before the “Men Tell All.”
The season is nearing its end, and if you can’t wait any longer to find out how Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia’s journey to love is rumored to end, you can check out our spoilers. Also, you can see which of the Season 19 contestants will be splashing onto Bachelor in Paradise when it premieres Tuesday, September 27 (but beware, there are spoilers there too!). Check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see when all of the other new and returning shows are premiering.
