(UPDATE: 3/15/22 at 10:00 p.m. ET): During After the Final Rose, it was revealed that BOTH Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia will be leading season 19 of The Bachelorette. For the first time ever, the show will have two leads for the full season. Even host Jesse Palmer said he’s unsure how they’re going to go about this!
(ORIGINAL STORY): The Bachelorette will return for its 19th season this spring. After the show aired TWO seasons of The Bachelorette in 2021, it will be back for another installment in 2022, following the dramatic ending of Clayton Echard’s season of The Bachelor. For weeks, fans have been speculating who could star as the Bachelorette next season.
Clayton’s ending will play out during The Bachelor finale on March 15. Heading into the episode, there are still three women left, and all three of them are possibilities as the next Bachelorette if they don’t end up with Clayton. The official announcement will be made during After the Final Rose on March 15. Learn about these women and other possible contenders below!
Gabby Windey
Gabby Windey is one of the remaining contestants on Clayton’s season of The Bachelor. Although Gabby and Clayton had a slower start than Clayton did with the other two women in his final three — Rachel Recchia and Susie Evans — they began falling for each other after a one-on-one date in Canada. Clatyon loved Gabby’s goofy behavior, but also the fact that she was able to put her walls down and be vulnerable with him.
When Clayton visited Gabby’s hometown, he got to see a new side of her when she was surprised by a visit from her dad, who had to remain socially distanced due to a girlfriend with health issues amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Gabby was very emotional throughout the day with her family, and Clayton loved seeing how much her loved ones meant to her.
On Clayton and Gabby’s fantasy suite date, he told her that he was falling in love with her. He also later revealed — via a conversation with Susie — that they slept together during their overnight. Susie left the show after learning of Clayton’s intimacy with other women, and Clayton came clean to Gabby and Rachel about being love with both of them, as well as Susie. Gabby was pissed and upset, and even almost left the show. When Clayton offered her a rose, she turned him down, but he wound up convincing her to stay. During part one of The Bachelor finale, Gabby got to meet Clayton’s family, and she felt like she was back in a good place with their relationship. However, Clayton was still second-guessing where things stood, and the rest will play out on March 15.
All season long, fans have fallen in love with Gabby’s one-liners and her reactions to some of the show’s biggest moments have been made into viral GIFs. Many Bachelor Nation fans are calling for Gabby to be the Bachelorette if Clayton breaks her heart.
Rachel Recchia
Rachel had a similar journey to Gabby on this season of The Bachelor. There was an instant connection between her and Clayton, and Rachel received two group date roses throughout the season. While one-on-one dates are important, getting the group date rose is also a big deal, as it proves that the lead is noticing you amidst a larger group.
Rachel was nervous for her hometown date with Clayton, as she knew that her dad could be tough on the men in her life. Rachel’s dad did not go easy on Clayton, but told him that he would signal whether he approved by patting him on the arm as he left the family day. Once Rachel’s dad saw how happy she was with Clayton, he gave the Bachelor the arm pat he was waiting for, signaling that he was on-board with the relationship. Rachel also told Clayton she was in love with him on the hometown date.
At the fantasy suite, Clayton reciprocated Rachel’s feelings of love, and was admittedly intimate with her as they spent the night together. When he broke the news of his similar feelings for Susie and Gabby, though, Rachel was absolutely devastated. She sobbed throughout the rose ceremony and needed words of encouragement from Clayton to be convinced to continue on the show. Rachel did end up accepting a rose and meeting Clayton’s family, but like Gabby, she has no idea of the turmoil Clayton is still facing.
Throughout this season of The Bachelor, many fans have been convinced that Rachel is the woman who Clayton ends up with in the end. For that reason, there has been less of a conversation surrounding her possible role as the Bachelorette. However, she definitely makes a great fit if things don’t go as the fandom predicted!
Susie Evans
Susie got Clayton’s very first one-on-one date on this season of The Bachelor, and there was no secret that there was a solid connection between them. Ahead of hometown dates, Susie wanted to make sure Clayton was aware of her feelings, so she organized a special meeting for them at a clock tower in Croatia. There, she told him that she was falling in love with him, and he was touched by the gesture. On the hometown date, Susie admitted that she was fully in love with Clayton, and their relationship continued to progress.
While things were steady between Clayton and Susie all season, she began having doubts during fantasy suite week. Gabby and Rachel had their dates first, and Susie couldn’t help but wonder what was happening. When she finally got to her one-on-one with Clayton, he told her he was in love with her. She was thrilled to hear this, but wanted to make sure he wasn’t sharing the same sentiments with Gabby and Rachel.
Of course, Clayton did also profess his love to Gabby and Rachel, which he admitted to Susie. He also confirmed that he had been intimate with both women in the fantasy suite, and reminded Susie that she had previously told him to explore ALL of his relationships throughout the journey. Clayton assured Susie that he loved her “the most” of all the women.
Susie wasn’t able to get past Clayton’s actions, though. She told him that she hadn’t wanted to give him an ultimatum about the fantasy suite, but expected him to respect her enough not to sleep with another woman if he really saw her at the end. It led to a dramatic, blow up fight between them, with Clayton not understanding why Susie didn’t bring her concerns forward earlier. Susie said she didn’t know if she could continue after finding out what she did, and Clayton sent her home.
After introducing Gabby and Rachel to his family, though, Clayton couldn’t get Susie off his mind. He still felt like he was the most in love with her and wanted another shot. Jesse Palmer confirmed that Susie was still in Iceland, and the March 14 episode ended with Clayton asking for one more chance to talk it out. We’ll have to wait and see whether Susie is on the same page, though!
Should things not work out, though, Susie is definitely a fan-favorite Bachelorette pick. Since the very first episode of season 26, fans have been talking about how much Susie reminds them of Hannah Brown, who has already taken on the Bachelorette role, too.
Serene Russell
Serene Russell was the fourth woman who got a hometown date on Clayton’s season. She opened up about her feelings for Clayton quickly on this season, and told him she was in love with him after introducing her to his family. Although things were comfortable with Clayton and Serene, he simply had stronger feelings for the other three women. Clayton sent Serene home during the hometown date rose ceremony.
At Women Tell All, Serene remained composed as she discussed the breakup. She did not appear to have bitter feelings towards Clayton, and definitely won over viewers with how confident she still was in finding love. Serene may have been eliminated before the MAIN drama of this season, but she certainly made her mark on this season while she was around!
Tayshia Adams
This one is a long shot, but Tayshia Adams IS a newly-single fan-favorite in Bachelor Nation! Tayshia was first introduced to viewers during Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor in 2019. She made it to the fantasy suites, and then suffered a fate similar to Gabby and Rachel. Colton decided he wanted to be with Cassie Randolph, who had already left the show. He dumped Tayshia and Hannah Godwin to pursue Cassie, and she wound up taking him back.
Tayshia then appeared on Bachelor in Paradise, where she met John Paul Jones. Although they didn’t leave the show as a couple, they got back together after filming and briefly dated in the real world. In the summer of 2020, Tayshia became the Bachelorette for season 16 after Clare Crawley left the show with one of her suitors, Dale Moss. Tayshia fell in love with Zac Clark on the show and they got engaged during the finale.
Unfortunately, things did not work out, and Tayshia and Zac ended their engagement in Nov. 2021 after more than a year together. Both of them have been very private about the breakup. Once Tayshia became single, fans began rallying for her potential return as the Bachelorette. However, Tayshia seems to have distanced herself from the Bachelor franchise a bit since ending things with Zac. In Jan. 2022, she stepped down from co-hosting two official Bachelor Nation podcasts. She appears to be dealing with the split very privately, and while it doesn’t seem likely that she’ll welcome a return to television right now, fans are still holding out hope!
When Will Filming For ‘The Bachelorette’ Begin?
Filming for The Bachelorette generally begins just days after the previous season of The Bachelor finished airing. With The Bachelor concluding on March 15, the new Bachelorette and her suitors are expected to begin filming by the end of the week. Season 19 of The Bachelorette doesn’t have an exact premiere date yet, but the show generally returns at the very end of May or beginning of June.
While seasons 17 and 18 of The Bachelorette were hosted by Tayshia and Kaitlyn Bristowe, it’s expected that Jesse Palmer will be hosting season 19. Jesse, a former Bachelor Nation star himself, made his hosting debut on season 26 of The Bachelor. When his position as host was announced in Sept. 2021, it was not officially confirmed that Jesse would also be joining the franchise for spin-offs like The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. However, Variety reported that the plan was to have him “continue with the franchise in the future.”
