‘Bachelorette’ Producers Don’t Want a Season 19 Repeat, Teases Nick Viall

YouTube ABC will feature two Bachelorettes - Gabby and Rachel.

“The Bachelorette” fans know Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia’s season will be unlike any previous season in some ways, but it sounds as if it was a truly wild ride. This is the first time there will be two leads looking for love from start to finish, but that is not the only thing that distinguishes season 19 from all previous ones. Former “The Bachelor” Nick Viall shared some scoop he has heard and viewers will be eager to see how this all comes together.

Here’s what you need to know:

Viall Got an Insider’s Perspective

In a recent episode of “The Viall Files” podcast, the former “Bachelor” broke down some intriguing tidbits. He noted that the decision to have both Windey and Recchia star as “Bachelorette” leads was a last-minute decision, and it had producers scrambling. The last two years have had double “Bachelorettes,” in a way, but not quite like this. In 2020, for example, Clare Crawley thought she fell in love immediately with Dale Moss, and the two got engaged barely two weeks into filming. Then production brought in Tayshia Adams, who became “The Bachelorette” as well, with mostly the same guys who had already pursued Crawley’s final rose.

In 2021, both Katie Thurston and Michelle Young led seasons of “The Bachelorette.” However, their seasons were filmed separately, with separate casts of suitors. This time, Recchia and Windey will start out with one group of men. While that could lay the groundwork for jealousy and chaos, apparently that doesn’t happen. “My understanding is early on, they’re very much going to be dividing up the men, like, each will basically [have] their respective season,” Viall detailed. He added, “It would be like if two friends go to a bar and…they just kind of decide” which of them is interested in which men. “I think they really are going out of their way to not pit two women against one another,” Viall explained.

The Season Will Have a “Paradise” Feel

Viall also was told by production insiders that Windey and Recchia’s season will be “very different” from previous seasons of “The Bachelorette.” As has been previously rumored, a good chunk of the season will take place on a cruise ship, and “it’s going to have a ‘Paradise’ feel to it,” Viall shared. To a degree, it sounds as if that is because the guys all have two ladies to try to connect with early on, and they don’t have to lock in on one relationship right away.

This upcoming season may be interesting and different, but Viall was told that “it was h*** to film.” Producers had scheduling in place for one “Bachelorette,” and doing it with two leads meant they had to “jam it all in.” In fact, when Viall asked his source what would happen if this approach with Windey and Recchia was a big hit, he was told, “they hope they never do it again.” He added, “Just because of the logistics. I think, a cruise ship probably was the challenge.” All signs point toward Windey and Recchia’s season being an intense one, and “The Bachelorette” fans cannot wait to jump in and see how it goes.