ABC Rachel Recchia is so proud of Gabby Windey.
Gabby Windey completed her first routine on “Dancing With the Stars” on the live premiere which streamed on Monday, September 19, 2022, on Disney+.
The “Bachelorette” star ended up having a great outing with her pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy, and had one of the highest scores of the night for her jive. Windey, who was an NFL cheerleader, seemed to adapt well to ballroom dancing and she executed her very first dance really well, based on the judges’ feedback — and her scores.
And while many had their opinions of Windey before she came out and danced, it seems her likability has grown considerably and she has set herself up to be a real contender for season 31. Meanwhile, there was one person who believed in her all along and who was in the live audience cheering her on — her best friend and “Bachelorette” counterpart, Rachel Recchia.
Here’s what you need to know:
Recchia Appeared Overjoyed to Watch Windey Dance & Fans Noticed
Before it was even Windey’s time to do her first dance, Recchia was on social media asking fans to vote and sharing videos from the ballroom. Recchia was seated next to Chmerkovskiy’s wife Jenna Johnson and two ladies couldn’t have been more excited to watch the show.
Following Windey and Chmerkovskiy’s dance, the camera panned over the Recchia, who had a huge smile on her face and was cheering loudly for her friend. Fans took to Reddit to react to Recchia’s support of Windey.
“When Rachel looks happier watching Gabby dance than she has with any of her men this season,” the person who kicked off the Reddit thread wrote, sharing a still of Recchia looking super proud.
“Rachel had this energy while Gabby was dancing and it was adorable,” someone else added.
“The true love story of the season,” a third person said.
“Obviously, this is in the moment. I’m so happy Rachel was there for Gabs premiere. And even if this holds true, it still answers my wish for the season. #girlsforever,” a fourth Redditor commented.
Recchia Pushed for Windey to Get on DWTS
After filming had wrapped for “The Bachelorette,” Windey and Recchia were having dinner with an ABC exec and it was Recchia who pushed for her friend to get on the reality competition show.
“Gabby is actually on — and this is the God’s honest truth — she’s on because of Rachel,” Senior Vice President, Alternative Series, Specials & Late-Night Programming at ABC Entertainment Robert Mills told Entertainment Tonight. “When we were at CMA Fest in Nashville in June, we were having dinner and Rachel said, ‘You have to put Gabby on Dancing With the Stars. This is her dream. She would be so good. Please, please put her on,'” he recalled.
Mills admitted that Windey wasn’t on the list of DWTS potentials, but Recchia changed that — and she’s ultimately the reason that Windey got on the show — and it’s paying off.
Fans seemed to love Windey and Chmerkovskiy’s energy and their dance was scored very high for night one. The two were easily safe after the live voting finished and fans can’t wait to see what these two have in store for week two.
READ NEXT: Reality Steve Reveals What Happened Between Rachel Recchia & Tino Franco (SPOILERS)