As Bachelor Nation ponders how Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia’s joint season of The Bachelorette will work, former contestant Mike Johnson is ready for the drama.
“I really would love to see a love triangle between one of the contestants and then the two Bachelorette leads,” Mike, 34, exclusively told Us Weekly on the “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast while promoting the “Talking It Out” podcast.
The Bachelorette season 15 alum added that he and cohost Bryan Abasolo have the “hottest takes” on their podcast, but the Bachelorette season 13 winner pointed out how close Gabby and Rachel appear.
“They seem like they’re best friends. They’re obviously relying on each other and leaning on each other throughout this entire journey, but I gotta figure there’s gonna be one guy that’s gonna walk in that’s gonna knock their socks off and they’re maybe gonna veer both toward him,” Bryan said. “Like Mike said, maybe a love triangle, maybe they’ll butt heads, but at the end of the day, I just hope that they’re both happy and they both find love on their journey.”
Season 19 will mark the first time two women will be the lead for the entirety of the season, but back in 2015, ABC named Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nielsen the leads. After the first episode, however, the men opted to pursue the Canadian, sending Britt home. When it comes to making two male contestants share the title, Mike isn’t so sure it would work.
“I don’t know because historically, [when the] women are leads, they’ve had a better success rate of staying in those relationships,” the Bachelor in Paradise alum told Us. “I think if they chose two guys, they gotta make sure that those guys are mature individuals.”
Former Bachelorette Becca Kufrin, for her part, told Us on “Here for the Right Reasons” that she’s rooting for “solidarity between the two of them” throughout the season.
“I’m going to completely blind, which I actually am really looking forward to because usually I know some tidbits are behind the scenes, but I have no idea what to expect,” the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast host told Us. “All I can hope for is that both women found partners, both women are in a happy, healthy, loving, committed relationship. Whether they’re engaged or not, I truly have no idea, but I just hope for the best outcome for both of them and that’s to find love and what the show is created for is to find a partnership. And so I hope that they both have that. What I have seen from those two is that they seem like they’ve built such a good friendship and solid foundation together as two women, which I think is very special.”
The Bachelorette returns to ABC Monday, July 11, at 8 p.m. ET.