As previously reported and as previously detailed, The Bachelorette will feature two leads this season, Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey.
This unique set-up has raised one crucial question:
How, exactly, is this going to look?
Last month, ABC announced that the two women — who both slept with Clayton Echard on the last season of The Bachelor and who then sent home by Echard in cruel fashion — would make history.
They will be the first-ever co-leads of The Bachelorette.
Said producers in a press release:
“After unwaveringly supporting each other through a devastating dual breakup in the season 26 finale of The Bachelor, fan favorites and fierce women Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia will stand by each other’s side yet again as they set out on a journey to find love.”
That sounds great in theory, but how will episodes actually work?
There has been an assumption among observers that the series would basically split this season into TWO seasons, with Gabby going on dates with a certain number of suitors… and Rachel going on dates with a different group of suitors.
Not so fast, however, Reality Steve now says.
“I think that maybe they were saying right from the get-go Rachel would have her own men and Gabby would have hers, and they’d be confined to those guys all season.
“Well, that’s not it,” the spoiller guru wrote on his blog this week.
Added Steve:
“It’s definitely more free-flowing than that. Kind of in the same line as Joe Millionaire, every guy in the house, as of now, has the ability to date both women and vice versa.”
Steve proceeded to explain that each women will get a one-on-one date on Week 2, while everyone — absolutely everyone! — will go on one gigantic group date.
As for upcoming destinations and/or vacations?
Rachel, Gabby and company will take a cruise at one point this summer and end up in France, which is where most of Episode 4 takes place.
The cruise will then take the ladies and their potential husband to Bruges, Belgium for Episode 5… and then on to Amsterdam for Episode 6.
In total, there will be three episodes filmed in Los Angeles and three in Europe, prior to the series shifting to hometown dates.
The Bachelorettes will film these hometown dates on the same day, obviously in different places with different contestants.
That’s the future, though.
According to a recent report, the present is looking pretty rough for The Bachelorette.
“It’s been chaos behind the scenes,” a source told The Sun late last month.
“Execs went with the two Bachelorette leads as an impulse decision because of how strong the reaction was to both women [on The Bachelor Season 26] and their friendship.
“But also because they needed to shake up the franchise after the past few years of turmoil.”
There were ABC viewers who wanted to see Rachel as The Bachelorette and others who pushed for Gabby.
In the end, producers thought it would be a good idea to give them both.
“I don’t think they thought it would be this big of a challenge to figure out the logistics,” The Sun insider explained, adding:
“Certain producers are feeding on that uncertainty, though, because they know the more chaotic it is, the better the drama will be for this season.
“They don’t even care if Gabby and Rachel end up hating each other by the end. They just want a good show and better ratings.”
