"I'm still mad about it": Why are The Bachelorette fans disappointed after Rachel and Gaby were pitted against each other?

The Bachelorette Season 19 aired a dramatic episode on Monday, August 1, 2022. The two leads, Gabby and Rachel, continued on their journey to find love with their individual set of suitors as they set sail across Europe. They began exploring and navigating their relationship in Paris, France, where some tension was bound to take place.

In this week's episode, Rachel addressed her insecurities regarding finding the right person. She felt disheartened after last week's rose ceremony in which some of the suitors rejected her rose. She was also skeptical about whether any of the men were really there for her.

Fans addressed concerns over the show having two bachelorettes and pitting two women against each other by putting them into "Team Gabby" and "Team Rachel." One tweeted:

Season 19 of The Bachelorette has been widely watched and appreciated by viewers and loyal fans as the dating series has two leading ladies this year. While some have criticized the show for making Gabby and Rachel's friendship more complicated, others have loved watching the leads support each other.

---

Fans react to The Bachelorette contestant Rachel raising concerns over her suitors

Rachel's week on The Bachelorette began with a considerable amount of insecurities. She kept thinking about last week's rose ceremony in which she was rejected by multiple men and echoed Gabby's sentiments, claiming that "rejection hurts." Rachel revealed that she felt like none of the men wanted to date her.

In a confessional, Rachel brought up her concerns over the men genuinely being there for her. She revealed that last week's rose ceremony was "hurtful and embarrassing." She said:

"It's been a challenge for Gabby and I to have our insecurities brought out as being compared to one another...I have a huge fear that the men in my group might not even be interested in me and will want to switch over to pursue Gabby. Or that they might fear like they are in the loser group."

Fans felt that having two bachelorettes and pitting Team Gabby and Team Rachel might not be a good idea. They also raised concerns over Rachel addressing her insecurities.

---

Gabby and Rachel continue to build stronger connections on The Bachelorette

In Episode 4 of The Bachelorette Season 19, Gabby and Rachel explore their connections with their respective suitors in Paris, The City of Light.

The unruly behavior of the suitors in last week's episode led to both the ladies taking control of their own journeys. The format was also altered to have a specific set of men committed to either of the two leads. Here are the Bachelors vying for the hearts of the two ladies:

• Rachel - Aven, Tino, Ethan, Hayden, James, Jordon M., Zach, Logan, and Tyler.
• Gabby - Spencer, Kirk, Quincey, Michael, Johnny, Mario, Jason, Nate, and Erich.

The official synopsis of the episode reads:

"Two lucky men join the leading ladies on an unforgettable rainy-day adventure in the city of love where Gabby and her date shop for berets in the district of Montmartre, and Rachel and her guy learn the art of French crêpes near Notre Dame."

In a few preview clips released by ABC on the show's social media pages, The Bachelorette leads are seen going on one-on-one dates. While Gabby goes on a date with Jason, Rachel chooses her first impression rose suitor, Tino, for her date.

Rachel wants to find out if her and Tino's lives would be a good fit and if they would align on the prospect of the former's career and aspirations. They discuss last week's rose ceremony where multiple suitors rejected the lead's rose. Rachel makes it clear that she wants a person who would respect her career, since many people said that she wouldn't have an ideal traditional life.

However, Tino assures her that he respects her career and needs someone who has "that kind of devotion." In the preview clips, it looks like both The Bachelorette stars Rachel and Gabby have two great one-on-one dates.

Gabby also embarked on a group date with her suitors, where they had to fight for her love in a French boxing ring called a savate.

---

Season 19 of The Bachelorette has been very exciting for viewers, and the upcoming episodes are set to bring more conflict. As the ladies continue to explore connections with suitors, it will be interesting to see which men get their roses and who the leads send home. Readers can keep watching The Bachelorette on ABC.