Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia are officially returning to star on season 19 of The Bachelorette, which will air later this year. The announcement was made during the After Final Rose special for season 26 of The Bachelor. After Clayton Echard’s dramatic season concluded, host Jesse Palmer lightened the mood a bit by revealing the next Bachelorette.
“At the end of the day, watching you both support each other in Iceland and how you have tonight, that was the big reason why we decided to give you both a shot,” Jesse explained. He also admitted he has “no idea” how things are going to work, but assured Gabby and Rachel they’ll figure it out. It was also confirmed that BOTH Gabby and Rachel will get to look for love the WHOLE season.
A premiere date for season 19 of The Bachelorette has not been confirmed, but the show usually airs beginning at the end of May or start of June. Filming is expected to begin in just a few short days. The big reveal of the season 19 lead comes following the ending of season 26 of The Bachelor, which went down in legendary fashion as Clayton fell in love with three different women, then had his heart broken by Susie Evans at the final rose ceremony.
In the end, though, Susie and Clayton reconnected and got back together after leaving the show. However, the other two final women — Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia — were left heartbroken by how Clayton handled things. Luckily, they’ll both get a chance to come back and find love!
The most recent season of The Bachelorette aired in the fall of 2021 after being filmed at the end of summer. Michelle Young was the lead of the season and she got engaged to Nayte Olukoya at her final rose ceremony. Nayte and Michelle are still together today. Before that, Katie Thurston led the show’s 17th season, which aired during summer 2021. Katie got engaged to Blake Moynes on her season, but they split just months later. Now, she’s dating a contestant who she eliminated in week two, John Hersey.