The Bachelorette is flipping the script for its 19th season. Along with new host Jesse Palmer replacing alumnae Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe, the Bachelor spinoff will now feature two women in the leading role by way of Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey. There are a number of ways this could turn into a disaster — remember the debacle that was Bristowe’s season? — but we’re intrigued about some comments made by Bachelor Nation star Nick Viall, who said he’s heard the upcoming season of The Bachelorette will have more of a Bachelor in Paradise vibe.
If The Bachelor franchise were a family, Bachelor in Paradise would be the rebellious black sheep sibling. Former contestants from the more formal Bachelor and Bachelorette seasons gather on the beach for hot hookups, clout-chasing and an inevitable scandal or two. It also usually results in more successful long-lasting relationships, and all of that together makes for some pretty entertaining television. Here’s how Nick Viall said on his podcast The Viall Files (via US Weekly) that the upcoming season of The Bachelorette is going to feel more like Paradise.
Part Of The Bachelorette Season 19 Was Filmed On A Cruise Ship
Nick Viall knows his way around Bachelor Nation. He was runner-up on back-to-back seasons of The Bachelorette, got engaged on his own season of The Bachelor, and also appeared on Season 3 of Bachelor in Paradise. So he probably knows what he’s talking about when it comes to how Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia’s season is going to feel different from the ones before it. For one, a new environment will contribute to the tropical vibe, according to Viall:
I’ve heard it’s going to be very different. And it’s going to have a Paradise feel to it. It is on a cruise ship — part of it. I asked people because it sounds like the producers think it’s gonna be really interesting, but very different.
The Bachelorette typically starts filming in California before the cast goes globe-trotting, eventually heading to the hometowns of the lead(s) and final four contestants. Having everyone on a cruise is definitely different, and I can’t wait to see Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia living their best vacation life while they look for love.
The Contestants Get To Choose Which Woman They Date
There’s a pretty obvious reason why Bachelor in Paradise produces more successful couples than its sister shows — there’s more than one lead. Contestants get to feel things out with different people and make their own choice, rather than merely hoping to be the last man or woman standing out of the 30+ people who get out of the limos on Night 1. Nick Viall says the fact the men get to choose between Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey gives The Bachelorette a Paradise-esque twist:
There’s a little bit of like, options, right? And the thing about Paradise, what makes it different is people have options. ... It would be like if two friends go to a bar and after the first night, they just decide — or go to a party and be like, ‘Who are you into?’ And they just kind of just decide. I think they really are going out of their way to not pit two women against one another.
Not having to compete with each other was an important factor for both Season 19 leads after they were put through “The Rose Ceremony From Hell” on Clayton Echard’s season of The Bachelor. In order to make that happen, the show has obviously had to shift its traditional format.
Two Times The Women, Two Times The Drama?
Bachelor in Paradise is also known for its dumpster-fire drama. Whether it’s Victoria Paul’s breast implants melting or Kendall Long crashing Grocery Store Joe’s proposal, there’s a ton going on that the producers are responsible for getting on camera. It sounds like filming The Bachelorette Season 19 got hectic in a similar way, as the decision to add a second lead came last-minute. According to Nick Viall:
They said it was hell to film because they decided to have two Bachelorettes, like, last second. So the scheduling was for one Bachelorette. They had to jam it all in. 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.
Maybe filming on a cruise ship was an ideal way to document two women’s journeys while keeping everyone relatively contained? It still seems like a lot, especially if they went from planning a traditional season of The Bachelorette to having to double up on everything.
We’ve got a while yet before our fan favorites take to the beach for Bachelor in Paradise’s return on September 27, but thankfully The Bachelorette Season 19 is just around the corner. Tune in at 8 p.m. ET Monday, July 11, to see Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia’s journey to find love! Also check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what other shows are premiering soon.
