Viewers know that The Bachelorette‘s new format has made things awkward more than once.
Some viewers like it. Others resent the change, even if they love Gabby and Rachel.
The franchise’s first-ever season of Double Bachelorettes may be polarizing, but the ladies themselves know how they feel.
Now, Gabby is clapping back at people who say that the format is “ruining” the show.
This week, Gabby Windey spoke to People.
“It’s easy to nitpick or just see one side of the story and easy to criticize,” she observed.
Gabby reasoned: “Naturally, people want to have an opinion, want people to stand behind them.”
One of the major worries that some viewers have expressed is that Gabby and Rachel are competing.
But Gabby emphasized that she and Rachel possess a “sisterhood.”
This, she said, “is something so special that nobody’s seen before.”
”I think it allows us to be more vulnerable with each other,” Gabby noted.
She explained that this is “because we know that there’s someone else by our side.”
Gabby also detailed why she and Rachel are not worried that this is a zero-sum game.
Instead, she feels like people are just having trouble adjusting to change. Change is hard, after all.
“I think that’s what we’re seeing. Like, ‘Oh, let’s pick apart something new,’” she added.
Gabby stressed that “there’s a lot of good in” this season, even with its unusual format.
Additionally, Gabby highlighted that there are “two different love stories” playing out on screen at once.
Viewers are also getting “two different personalities to reach a bigger audience.”
She’s making some solid points. Two leads means that people have twice as many chances to like or relate to one.
“So if you pay attention, we’re not pitting ourselves against each other,” Gabby argued.
She emphasized: “We’re not in any competition.”
Gabby redirected perceptions, adding: “That’s other people creating the narrative.”
“So now, it’s like whatever,” Gabby characterized.
“But our friendship has grown so much,” she announced.
“And it’s something that I know I take away from this experience,” Gabby affirmed.
Gabby notes of the experience “in this season in particular, that nobody else gets to.”
She then expressed: “And that’s truly invaluable to me.”
Clearly, Rachel strongly agrees.
RACHEL RECCHIA, GABBY WINDEY
Rachel weighed in, saying that they went into this experience “knowing that we were going to respect each other.
The two had also vowed to “have open communication” throughout the season.
“There was never really a decision in the beginning we didn’t make without one another,” Rachel emphasized.
“We were always there to support one another,” Rachel then affirmed.
“You can see us having our bad days,” she noted. “I’ll have a bad day, and then something similar happens to her.”
Rachel concluded: “So I think if anything, we just grew more than we could have imagined as friends.”
