Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia from The Bachelorette insist there was no bad intention behind the digs made at their mutual ex, Clayton Echard, during the show’s Season 19 premiere.
What Recchia & Windey Shared on a Podcast
On an episode of Us Weekly’s Here for the Right Reasons, Rachel Recchia, 26, said that no one was ever using Clayton’s name “maliciously or to be mean or bully him.” However, The Bachelorette star admitted she and Gabby preferred that the contestants had made fewer sarcastic remarks about their mutual ex when he arrived at the mansion in Season 19’s first episode.
Gabby Windey added that it was understandable if Echard and his girlfriend, Susie Evans, found the comments inappropriate as even the co-leads hoped the men would stop bringing up their ex. However, Gabby and Rachel agree that they are confident all that was said was “in good fun in a way to try to connect with us.”
What Happened on The Bachelorette
Truth is, most of the contestants wanted to shade Echard in an attempt to impress The Bachelorette co-leads. It was just a week before the show ended, and everybody saw the ending after the final rose. Clayton managed to become the least favorite “Bachelor” after he told Gabby and Rachel that he loved them and slept with both of them. However, the former football player admitted he wasn’t thrilled with the episode.
Susie Evans revealed she wasn’t happy about the negative comments on her boyfriend, worrying that it would reopen “the floodgates . . . of all the hate” that Clayton received when his season ended earlier this year.
On the same podcast, Echard added that if it was up to him, he wouldn’t want that to be aired and that this could lead to cyberbullying. Regardless of his opinion on it, Sussie mentioned that Clayton handled everything better than anyone else and that he was able to laugh rather than look annoyed like she did.