The Bachelorette creator Mike Fleiss has posted a happy picture of Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia while filming Season 19, insisting there's no drama between them.
ADVERTISEMENT
|
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Mike uploaded the picture of the dual The Bachelorette stars smiling in a restaurant booth seemingly as an attempt to allay any lingering concerns the season is pitting the two women against each other.
The last time The Bachelorette featured two stars in one season, Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nilsson were forced to face off against each other for the role.
The Bachelorette's Season 11 men were asked to vote for which woman they'd like to continue dating on Night 1, and Kaitlyn ended up winning the position over Britt, who was then immediately kicked off the show.
Given Gabby and Rachel had a heartbreaking journey competing against each other on Clayton Echard's season of The Bachelor in which they had been strung along and dumped simultaneously, fans have voiced their dismay over the idea the women may be pitted against each other again.
Even Kaitlyn recently told E! News of Rachel and Gabby's joint casting, "I just want somebody to have their own season and I just don't want it to be them pitted against each other."
But in March, Mike, who also executive produces The Bachelorette, reassured viewers on Twitter that the casting shakeup does not mean Rachel and Gabby will be at odds.
"I love Gabby and Rachel but there's no way this doesn't pit these two against each other," one fan tweeted at the time. "Every guy is gonna be asked the same question 'who do you like more!'"
Mike replied at the time, "Not true! You'll see..."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
The Bachelorette host Jesse Palmer also confirmed on The Bachelor: After the Final Rose that both Gabby and Rachel will serve as Bachelorette leads for the "entire" season when the show premieres Monday, July 11 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW
However, the format of The Bachelorette's upcoming nineteenth season has yet to be described.
When Gabby and Rachel were announced as dual stars last month, they didn't even know how the process was going to work.
"Everyone keeps asking," Gabby said on Good Morning America.
"We just got thrown in. But I have faith and a lot of trust and I love Rachel to death and I know we're gonna have each other's backs the whole way, so there's really not a doubt in my mind that it's gonna end up well."
Viewers watched Clayton break up with and devastate Gabby and Rachel in a group dumping session after sleeping with the both of them and also professing his love to three women.
Clayton let Gabby and Rachel go in order to chase down the woman he was "the most in love with," Susie Evans, who had quit during Fantasy Suites due to Clayton's decision to be intimate with two other ladies.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Gabby and Rachel were sent packing when they were both totally in love with Clayton and had met his family.
ADVERTISEMENT
On the After the Final Rose special, Gabby said Clayton had known it would be a dealbreaker for her to find out that he loved Susie "the most."
Gabby felt misled to have only learned that information well after Clayton convinced her to accept a rose following Fantasy Suites.
"As you said, you compartmentalized our relationships. Watching it back, everything is so muddled and you were clearly pitting us against each other. It really seemed like a competition, which I had expressed to you I didn't want to be a part of," Gabby explained.
"And it seemed like you had your mind set on Susie WAY before you wanted to tell us, and you kept going back to Rachel and I, 'Oh, I want to try this and I want you to meet my family -- but I can't stop thinking about Susie and I love Susie the most.'"
Rachel also admitted to feeling betrayed and "cast aside" by The Bachelor 26 star. Rachel put Clayton in his place by saying he never loved her and ultimately didn't deserve her love.
The Bachelorette's nineteenth season began filming late last month, and the initial cast of 35 potential suitors has already been released by ABC.
On The Bachelorette's official Instagram page, the new season is dubbed "dreamy, surprising, empowering, amazing, romantic and dramatic" in a promo.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group!
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski