Not over it. Kaitlyn Bristowe isn’t a fan of The Bachelorette having two leads for season 19 after her own dramatic experience.
“I was triggered,” the 36-year-old former reality star told her fiancé, Jason Tartick, in an E! News interview published on Tuesday, March 29.
Tartick, 33, called ABC’s decision to announce Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia as the coleads for the upcoming season of the series “crazy,” before asking the “Off the Vine” podcast her true feelings about the new arrangement.
Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia ABC/Craig Sjodin
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, can’t a woman have her own season?’” Bristowe said. “It feels like it was Clare [Crawley] and then she was gone. And then it had to be Tayshia [Adams]. And then it was Katie [Thurston] and then, back-to-back, Michelle [Young]. And now it’s the two Bachelorettes again.”
Bristowe famously started her journey as the Bachelorette in season 11 alongside former Bachelor contestant Brit Nilsson in 2015. Their suitors then had to vote on which woman they wanted to stay, which Bristowe ultimately won. Now, it appears that history is somewhat repeating itself, which the Canada native isn’t on board with.
“I just want somebody to have their own season and I just don’t want it to be them pitted against each other,” the Dancing With the Stars champion explained on Tuesday. “I don’t know how the format is going to work. I don’t know what their little system is going to be, but I know how two Bachelorettes felt and it felt like we were being pitted against each other for the men to decide.”
Bristowe added: “And we could all get weird on what’s acceptable and what’s not in the Bachelor world because, really, that is always a gray area. I just wish I was there for it because I know how it feels!”
Despite the rocky start to her season, the Spade & Sparrows cofounder got engaged during the finale to Shawn Booth. The twosome called it quits in 2018 after three years together.
Bristowe moved on with Tartick, who fans first met when in 2018 when he competed for Becca Kufrin’s heart on season 14 of The Bachelorette. The Buffalo, New York native and Bristowe got engaged in May 2021.
The “Good for Somebody” songstress has remained a big part of Bachelor Nation in recent years, guiding both Thurston, 31, and Young, 28, respectively, during seasons 17 and 18 of The Bachelorette. Bristowe and Adams, 31, were cohosts for the series after Chris Harrison stepped back from his duties in early 2021 following drama surrounding his support of controversial contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, who was embroiled in a racism scandal at the time.
Jesse Palmer, who was the lead on season 5 of The Bachelor in 2004, took the helm for season 26 as the host, assisting Clayton Echard on his journey of love. Much of Bachelor Nation was surprised earlier this month when Palmer, 43, announced that he would return as the host of season 19 of The Bachelorette.
Bristowe shared her feelings about be ousted as a cohost during the March 22 episode of her podcast, noting that although she thinks Palmer is “amazing,” she’ll be “sad” not being able to help the ladies during their complicated season.
“I want to support Gabby and Rachel and be there for them so bad,” the TV personality continued. “I think it makes sense to have a woman being there for them.”
Though Bristowe and Adams aren’t returning to their Bachelorette hosting duties at the moment, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that they were involved in discussions about who would host the show. “The doors aren’t closed for good,” the insider added. “Never say never.”
Season 19 of The Bachelorette premieres on ABC Monday, July 11, at 8 p.m. ET.
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