During The Bachelor: After the Final Rose in March, Bachelor franchise host Jesse Palmer dropped a bomb. After discussing heartbreak with runners-up Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia, Palmer announced that the next Bachelorette wouldn’t be Gabby or Rachel—it would be both of them.
Fans were excited about the news of the double-Bachelorette season, since both Gabby and Rachel had become fan-favorites during Season 26 of The Bachelor. But, with filming wrapped up and only about a month to go before the premiere of Season 19 of The Bachelorette, I’m starting to get a little worried about my girls.
Are ALL the dates going to be double dates? Are the guys going to make their first impressions to both girls simultaneously? How will the rose ceremonies work? Is Rachel’s dad willing to open up to a second Bachelor? Is Gabby’s grandpa okay????? I have a million questions, but here are some of the things I’m most worried about ahead of the double-Bachelorette season.
Haven’t These Girls Been Through Enough?!
The Bachelor franchise has a habit of telling us every single season is the most dramatic to date—but in this case, they actually might have been telling the truth. For those who missed the shocking end to Clayton’s season of The Bachelor, our leading man claimed to have fallen in love with all three of his finalists. He begged Gabby and Rachel to stay and continue their journey, only to dump them simultaneously the next day.
Rachel’s sobs echoing throughout the rose ceremony showed just how much vulnerability she had shown to Clayton, while Gabby’s stone-faced reaction the next morning basically read as her saying, “I’m done with men.” Both girls rode a roller coaster of emotion at the end of their Bachelor journey, which is why I’m so shocked they agreed to do it all over again.
These girls went through more heartbreak in a matter of days than I’ve been through in my entire life, and I'm worried another round of Bachelor drama might be too much for them to handle.
Did We Learn Nothing From Joe Millionaire?
If Kaitlyn Bristowe’s comments about the Double-Bachelorette season weren’t warning enough, I invite you to look at exhibit B: Joe Millionaire.
Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer debuted in 2021 with a premise similar to The Bachelor, but with one key difference: two eligible bachelors. The Bachelorette seems to have taken a page from Joe Millionaire’s book for the upcoming season, but didn’t stop to consider the issues that arose during the double-Joe show.
Albeit entertaining, Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer was a mess, with most of the girls deciding right off the bat to pursue the more attractive man (Kurt). Girls who weren’t front runners wound up pursuing the other bachelor (Steven) seemingly by default, making for a cast of women who didn’t seem all that interested in either man. It was good television, but Kurt’s relationship with his winner ended before the show could even air.
The timing of the double-Bachelorette season makes it seem like ABC just copied the format of Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer without examining the issues the show had or considering the ways Gabby and Rachel could get hurt in the process.
Shouldn't we have learned from Joe Millionaire’s mistakes?
What If Both Girls Fall For The Same Man?
It’s very possible that none of the men on this season will be good enough for Gabby and Rachel. What’s more, most of the men in the Season 19 cast are younger than Gabby, which means she’ll have to rule out men who aren’t emotionally mature enough for her or not in the same mindset as far as family, children, marriage, and lifestyle. Rachel will need the same: as a pilot, she needs a man who’s okay with dating an independent woman with big career aspirations.
What I’m getting at here is it seems like the producers might want Gabby and Rachel to fall for the same man. If the whole cast is full of duds and twenty-somethings, there’s a higher likelihood that the leading ladies will be interested in the same contestant. Thus, there’s a higher likelihood that one girl will be rejected.
Look, for all I know, the men on this season are going to be perfect gentlemen. We’ve just been played by the casting directors before, and I want the best for Gabby and Rachel.
What If All The Men Favor One Of The Girls?
There’s no way to predict which men will fall for which girl - after all, Gabby and Rachel are two very different people. Consider this though: In a normal season of the Bachelorette, theoretically every contestant falls in love with the same woman. Who’s to say they won’t all fall in love with the same woman this time around?
Hopefully there will be more than enough eligible men to give both Gabby and Rachel options, but I’m concerned one of them might end up feeling like the backup if the other starts making more connections.
Gabby And Rachel Might Get Their Hearts Broken Again
There’s an inherent risk in going back to the Bachelor franchise to find love, but that risk has increased tenfold for the upcoming season. The majority of Bachelorette seasons don’t end in marriage, so there’s a very real chance Gabby, Rachel, or both leave the show again without finding love.
After thinking they had found love with Clayton, it could be hard for Gabby and Rachel to open up to new romantic partners and risk heartbreak all over again.
The Girls’ Friendship Is At Stake
Part of the marketing for Season 19 of The Bachelorette centers around “two best friends” looking for love together. This friendship is going to be put to the test the second these girls enter the bachelor mansion, for some of the reasons noted above.
What will happen the first time Gabby and Rachel kiss the same man? It’s going to happen — actually, it would be more surprising if that didn’t happen given the usual number of makeouts in a Bachelor/Bachelorette season.
The way Gabby and Rachel chose to handle these situations will dictate whether or not they leave the show on good terms. Jealousy and trust may become issues for the girls if they catch feelings for the same man or lose out on time with their top picks.
Despite these nagging questions about the double-Bachelorette season, I’m more than ready to see both girls leave with the love of their lives. I’ll just be biting my nails the whole time.
Season 19 of The Bachelorette premieres on ABC on July 11, 2022. In the meantime, episodes of prior seasons of both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, and the spinoff show Bachelor in Paradise are available to stream with a Hulu subscription.
