Entertainment TV Gabby Windey, Rachel Recchia Prepare to Film Joint 'Bachelorette' Season: 'Couldn't Be More Excited' Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia were both previously contestants on Clayton Echard's season of The Bachelor By Nicholas Rice Nicholas Rice Instagram Twitter Nicholas Rice is a Staff Editor for PEOPLE Magazine. He began working with the brand as an Editorial Intern in early 2020, before later transitioning to a freelance role, and then staff positions soon after. Nicholas writes and edits anywhere between 7 to 9 stories per day on average for PEOPLE, spanning across each vertical the brand covers. Nicholas has previous work experience with Billboard, POPSUGAR, Bustle and Elite Daily. When not working, Nicholas can be found playing with his 5 dogs, listening to pop music or eating mozzarella sticks. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 21, 2022 02:27 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia. Photo: Craig Sjodin via Getty Images Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia are looking forward to their joint season of The Bachelorette. The two women — who were both previously contestants on Clayton Echard's season of The Bachelor — shared a joint Instagram post on Monday, where they celebrated their turn to find love as the next season's leads. "Started from the bottom (of the stairs) now we're here," the duo captioned their shared post, which features photographs of themselves on the ABC reality dating series. "We couldn't be more excited to have each other on this journey to find love 💕." In the comments section, the official account for The Bachelor wrote, "We are so excited for you both 😍❤️," as a verified Bachelor Nation page added: "Let's goooooooo." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Recchia, 26, and Windey, 31, were eliminated during the season finale of the most recent season of The Bachelor after Echard, 28, decided to try to pursue a relationship with Susie Evans, who had left after learning the lead had been intimate with both Recchi and Windey. (Echard had also told all three women that he was in love with each of them.) The pair were then announced as the next leading ladies for the franchise during the After the Final Rose special. There, it was revealed they will star in the same season together as they search to find love. Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday. "After unwaveringly supporting each other through a devastating dual breakup in the season 26 finale of The Bachelor, fan favorites and fierce women Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia will stand by each other's side yet again as they set out on a journey to find love," ABC said in a press release. "I'm so happy for her, I truly am. It's crazy, this is insane. I'm excited to do this journey with you. We did it once together and we've been through the most crazy experience together," Recchia said on the After the Final Rose special, as Windey added: "I'm a girl's girl through and through so having a friend by my side, there's nothing I could ask more." RELATED VIDEO: The Bachelorette: Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey Announced as Leading Ladies for Season 19 Last week, The Bachelorette creator Mike Fleiss quelled a fan's concern that season 19's format would pit the two leads against each other, after the ladies both faced betrayal from Echard in the season 26 finale. "I love Gabby and Rachel but there's no way this doesn't pit these two against each other," one fan wrote on Twitter. "Every guy is gonna be asked the same question 'who do you like more!' " Fleiss, 57, who created the Bachelor franchise in 2002, clarified that won't be the case. "Not true! You'll see…," he wrote in a quote tweet. The upcoming season of The Bachelorette will premiere on July 11.