Gabby Windey & Rachel Recchia Begin Filming Double ‘Bachelorette’ Season

Gabby Windey Rachel Recchia

ABC Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia.

“The Bachelorette” has started filming its first-ever full “double” season.

Less than two weeks after Rachel Recchia, 25, and Gabby Windey, 31, the two runner-ups from Clayton Echard’s season of “The Bachelor,” were named joint stars for “The Bachelorette,” they headed to the franchise’s famous mansion in Agoura Hills, California to begin filming.

And it didn’t take long for showrunner Mike Fleiss to post photos from the first night, which features the limo meet and greets with the duo’s three dozen suitors.

Here’s what you need to know:


Mike Fleiss Shared a Look at Rachel & Gabby’s Limo Night & a Peek at Some of the Guys

In a series of photos posted to Twitter, “Bachelor” creator Mike Fleiss gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at Rachel and Gabby’s first night—and their glamorous dresses.

In the first pic, the “Bachelorette” stars were seen talking to host Jesse Palmer. Rachel wore an ivory, sequined-covered gown and Gabby wore a sparkly black dress.

‘The Bachelorette (s)!!!” Fleiss captioned the post.

A second photo showed three of the suitors sitting on the couch inside the mansion, presumably after they met Rachel and Gabby.

“The journey has begun… #TheBachelorette (s),” Fleiss wrote.

Fans reacted to the duo’s glam looks.

“Gabby!!! What a show stopper this is gonna be sooooo good,” one fan wrote.

“Okay but Rachel looks RADIANT,” another added.

“Omg !!!! wait they look stunning,” a third chimed in.

“Best of luck to Gabby and Rachel. I hope both girls find love,” another wrote.

In addition to Fleiss’ photos, host Jesse Palmer shared a sneak peek look at filming on his Instagram story. The former franchise star shared photos of the mansion, camera shots of the two leading ladies, and a snap of him taking middle-of-the-night coffee break. (Yes, that first night of filming is all all-nighter.)

“Great to be home, back at the mansion!!!” he captioned a post. “Gabby and Rachel’s journeys are about to begin.”


It’s Still Unclear How the New Bachelorette Season Will Work

The new season marks the first time that two women will star as “The Bachelorette” for an entire season, so this is uncharted territory for the long-running ABC dating franchise.

Fleiss has still not revealed exactly how the new season will work, or if Gabby and Rachel will date the same guys. Gabby already told “Good Morning America” that she and Rachel are “gonna have each other’s backs the whole way,” according to Us Weekly.

But the sneak peek photos make it look as though they will do the limo night meet and greets together, which could make for some awkward intros.

When a viewer speculated that the show will “pit” the two women against each other, Fleiss replied, “Not true! You’ll see…#TheBachelorette.”

What fans do know is that about three dozen suitors have been rounded up for Gabby and Rachel to meet. On March 22, ABC released photos and bios of the men who could potentially appear on Gabby and Rachel’s season. The photos of the 35 were posted on “The Bachelorette” Facebook page, and the roundup includes men ranging in age from 23 to 36.

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