Fans Upset After Gabby Windey Announced as DWTS Contestant

ABC Gabby Windey.

On Thursday, September 8, ABC announced the lineup for season 31 of “Dancing With the Stars.” Among the contestants is “Bachelorette” Gabby Windey.  Although many fans are excited that Windey will be competing with Valentin “Val” Chmerkovskiy, others are confused as to why co-bachelorette Rachel Recchia was not cast as well.

Gabby but Not Rachel?

The two Bachelorettes recently discussed their mutual desire to compete on the show. In an August 24 interview with E! News Daily Pop Recchia hinted that they were both primed to show off their skills. “Maybe it could be the first time me and Gabby compete against each other” the professional pilot told E! News.

Both women have dance and cheerleading backgrounds, however, Windey actually cheered professionally for the Denver Broncos, while Recchia’s cheerleading experience was at Ohio University. Because of Windey’s extensive experience, some fans think she is a major contender for the win. “Coming for the mirrorball!!” one fan expressed.  “this seasons winners 🙌” claimed another about the Gabby-Val pairing.  One fan commented, “Val and Gabby will KILL the competition.”

Although many “Bachelorette” and DWTS fans are rooting for Windey, some are also disappointed that Recchia will not be competing. “I think they both would be great,” a Facebook fan commented.

According to an August 24 article on Yahoo!, “the leading ladies of season 19 of The Bachelorette are open to joining season 31 of Dancing With the Stars.” The outlet continued, “And, for the record, Gabby did confirm that she’s a ‘trained’ dancer. This explains why Rachel was more eager for Gabby to be cast on Dancing With the Stars, rather than herself. While she has been ‘advocating Gabby for Dancing With The Stars,’ she would still love to hop on the dance train herself.”

Other Reasons Fans Are Upset

Some fans are also disappointed that DWTS moved to Disney Plus.  A Reddit user wrote, “Man, I wanted to boycott DWTS because of the dumb movie to Disney+, but I also want to support Gabby.” A Facebook user wrote, “Can’t watch because it’s something else you have to pay for.”

Another fan was concerned that recent news about Erich Schwer in blackface would affect Windey’s performance: “I really wonder how the Erich drama will affect Gabby on DWTS,” the poster wrote. Another Reddit user replied, “Isn’t the DWTS fan base super racist? I’m sure she’ll be fine even if Erich’s racist blackface photo blows up.”  Someone else commented, “It would be about Erich’s history of blackface. Will she defend him? If she does then does it affect votes for DWTS?”

Some fans also think Windey should be focusing on other things rather than being in the spotlight. A Facebook user posted, “Please no. Get to know your fiance, plan your life together, get married and move forward. Get out of this franchise once you’ve found your mate.”  Another commented, “It can’t help new relationships to go on DWTS immediately after getting into REALITY with their new loves. Just another example of getting caught up in the trend of trying to be a celebrity as long as possible.”

Season 31 of “Dancing With the Stars” will start streaming live on Disney Plus, Monday, September 19 at 8 p.m. ET.

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