[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for The Bachelorette Season 19 premiere.]
Gabby Windey, an ICU nurse from Colorado, met Rachel Recchia, a commercial pilot and flight instructor from Florida, when they competed against each other for the affections of former college football player Clayton Echard on Season 26 of The Bachelor. Echard told them together that he had fallen in love with both of them and had also been intimate with both of them, which crushed them both, but he ultimately chose another contestant who rejected him in the end.
In a first for the 20-year-old franchise, Gabby and Rachel were both selected to be on Season 19 of The Bachelorette. Now bonded by their shared experience of being heartbroken, the two were actually thrilled to learn that they would be going on this new journey to find love together.
Will Gabby and Rachel stay chummy as The Bachelorette kicks into high gear? This is about to be a wild ride — better get some snacks ready.
As the premiere episode of Season 19 revs up, Rachel flies her small plane in from Florida to meet Gabby in California. They chest bump on the tarmac and drive to the Bachelor Mansion, the trademark luxe home on a hilltop with panoramic green views. Each woman pops her own champagne bottle and drinks out of it while toasting to the good life.
ABC
“Hopefully, I’ll meet my husband and hopefully it’s not the same one that Rachel wants!” Gabby says in a confessional.
The Limo Arrivals
ABC
Limos full of men pull up to the house, and the contestants introduce themselves to Gabby and Rachel one by one — except in the case of Joey and Justin, twins from Connecticut who list their occupation as, well, “twins.” Many feel compelled to come prepared with a pickup line or even a failed magic trick to impress them. Alec, a wedding photographer from Houston, even brings a young barbershop quartet to sing an original song about how much Clay sucks. Gabby and Rachel say in an interview that Alec’s intro is the only time that they don’t mind hearing Clayton’s name; a lot of other guys are mentioning him, and it’s getting old.
Some of the introductions are particularly impressive, like James, a self-proclaimed “meatball enthusiast” from Winnetka, IL who carries in the biggest meatball sub you’ve ever seen and then shares pieces with the other fellas. Or Logan, a videographer from San Diego who brings two baby chicks named Mary Beth and Alejandra with him, noting that he practiced hanging out with some “cute chicks” before arriving at the house.
But all of the intros pale in comparison to Jacob’s — the mortgage broker from Scottsdale literally rode in shirtless on a white horse, his blond tresses waving in the breeze.
“I know this looks like a cover to a romantic novel, but I’m only here for a happy ending,” he says dubiously.
Speed Dates
Gabby and Mario (ABC/Craig Sjodin)
Gabby and Rachel each have some quick one-on-one dates on the property and then compare notes on the highlights. Gabby shares that she learned about what horseman Jacob wants in a partner, and felt butterflies when she kissed Mario, a personal trainer from Naperville, IL. Rachel recounts getting to see Georgia native and race car driver Jordan’s car and getting an offer to learn how to drive it. She’s charmed that she received a handmade belated birthday card from Hayden, a “leisure executive,” also from Georgia, and she kissed Tino, a general contractor from California who smooched her on a set of stairs as a way to replace the memory of her crying over Clayton on stairs.
First Impression Roses
Tino and Mario (ABC/Ricky Middlesworth)
First Impression Roses are awarded to the two guys who intrigued Gabby and Rachel the most after the first day. Rachel walks into a room where many of her prospects are hanging out, grabs one of the two roses, and walks out, crushing several egos at once. She makes a beeline to Tino, whisks him away from a group, and gives him the rose and more kisses. Meanwhile, Gabby goes for Mario, who is delighted to be selected.
The Rose Ceremony
ABC
After consulting Jesse, who tells them they can basically do whatever they want except string guys along, Gabby and Rachel decide together that they’re going to forego the Rose Ceremony this week because they felt like they didn’t have enough time to speak to everyone one on one. The guys toast their luck. However, three men are sent home: the magician and the twins. The ladies were sure that they didn’t connect with any of them, so they took Jesse’s advice.
This Season on The Bachelorette
Are you sitting down? The first episode of Season 19 ends with a trailer of the drama to come and watching it will absolutely make your pulse race. If you think Gabby and Rachel went through a lot of highs and lows on The Bachelor, you’re definitely not prepared for what’s to come. We see flashes of underwater make-out sessions and dates floating in the air as well as montages of men crying and of dudes rejecting Rachel’s roses. And oh so much more.
“This journey finding love together, it’s messy,” one Bachelorette says in a voiceover. “I just hope that for both of us it’s worth it.”
The Bachelorette, Mondays, 8/7c, on ABC
