As the drama on season 21 of The Bachelorette picks up, one contestant continues to rub former star Rachel Recchia the wrong way.
“My first little note, I just wrote, ‘Thomas [Nguyen] and Devin [Strader] are giving me the ick,’” she told Ben Higgins while recapping the season’s third episode on the Tuesday, July 23, episode of the “Almost Famous” podcast. “I, last episode, was not a fan of either of them. But I think there’s something about Devin that really throws up red flags for me because he reminds me a lot of [my ex-fiancé] Tino [Franco] and this, like, winner mindset and this, ‘That’s my wife.’ Like, this is week two.”
After competing on season 26 of The Bachelor with leading man Clayton Echard, Rachel, 28, starred alongside Gabby Windey as co-Bachelorettes on the show’s 19th season in 2022. Though she ended filming engaged to Tino, 30, they broke up as the show was airing on ABC after he admitted to kissing a girl he had met before joining The Bachelorette.
Tino was a frontrunner for Rachel early on during her season as she presented him with her first impression rose. Though Devin, 28, didn’t earn Jenn Tran’s first impression rose, he has continued to make a strong impression and scored a group date rose in episode 3.
However, Devin’s personality has rubbed many of his castmates the wrong way, especially when it comes to the amount of time he has gotten to spend with Jenn, 26, so far. In episode 2, Thomas N. confronted Devin for chatting with Jenn first at the cocktail party after he and other guys said they would allow contestants who hadn’t had much time with Jenn the chance to talk to her.
Devin’s self-confidence is something Rachel told podcast cohost Ben Higgins gave her “the same sort of vibe” as Tino. “I feel like that’s what’s really getting under the guys’ skin,” Rachel — who is filling in for Higgin’s regular cohost, Ashley Iaconetti — said on Tuesday. “But I think, at this point, I’m over both Thomas and Devin.”
One thing Rachel and Ben, 35, agreed on is Devin deserved props for standing up for Sam Nejad after he got backlash from Thomas N. and Sam McKinney for saying he was beginning to fall in love with Jenn on a group date.
“I was like, ‘He really stood up for him.’ And he was like, ‘You’re allowed to have those feelings.’ So, that was really nice for me,” Rachel stated.
On the other hand, Devin’s personality clashing with the rest of the group is something Rachel says she wouldn’t want from a Bachelorette contestant. “You can kind of tell the other guys don’t really like him. So, that’s where it gives me pause, whereas, yeah, I feel like Thomas is definitely the issue and he was the issue in that argument, I look around to guys and why do they all kind of not like Devin?” she said. “That says something to me. I want the guy I end up with to get along with people.”
Both Rachel and Ben went on to predict that they think Jenn will eliminate Devin and Thomas N. around “mid-season,” allowing them to “secure their place on the beach” for the upcoming 10th season of Bachelor in Paradise. (ABC renewed the spinoff series earlier this month, and it is set to air in 2025.)
Rachel appeared on season 9 of BiP last year. Following her casting announcement, Tino seemingly shaded his ex during an interview on the “After Reality” podcast, admitting that he would be more focused on cheering on his former Bachelorette contestants than Rachel.
“One thing, I think — whether you like her or dislike her — you got to give her credit for is there’s no quit in her,” he said in August 2023. “I’ll be watching but focusing my rooting on for the boys.”
Rachel fired back at his comments the following month. “I just don’t understand, why am I not allowed to move on?” she said on a September 2023 episode of “The Viall Files” podcast. “And why am I not allowed to find love?” (She ultimately left the BiP beach solo after sparking connections with multiple cast members.)
The Bachelorette airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
