Entertainment TV 'The Bachelorette' 's Gabby Windey Denies 'Any Competition' with Rachel Recchia Despite 'Insecure Moments' "It's less about the competition and more about our culture of dating," Gabby Windey tells PEOPLE of her relationship with Rachel Recchia on the show By Shafiq Najib Shafiq Najib Shafiq Najib is a former writer-reporter at PEOPLE. He left PEOPLE in 2023. People Editorial Guidelines and Dory Jackson Dory Jackson Dory Jackson is an Associate Editor for PEOPLE's digital TV team. While at the brand, she's had the opportunity to interview a long list of celebrities, from Kate Hudson to Pierce Brosnan to Billy Porter. She has also helped recap popular TV shows like 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,' 'Sister Wives' and 'Vanderpump Rules.' The New York-based Maryland native graduated from Randolph-Macon College in May 2016 with a focus on Communication Studies and Journalism. She came to PEOPLE in March 2021 after working at a number of major news companies, including Newsweek and Us Weekly. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 2, 2022 09:00PM EDT Photo: Frank Micelotta/ABC/Getty The Bachelorette star Gabby Windey is setting the record straight about her friendship with costar Rachel Recchia. While speaking with PEOPLE on Tuesday, Gabby, 31, discussed her sisterhood with Rachel, 26, after the pair made history by being the first two full-time leads of the franchise in season 19 of the show. The new format, however, appeared to draw criticism from fans who expressed their dissatisfaction online. "I think it's easy to nitpick or just see one side of the story and easy to criticize," Gabby says of the reviews. "Naturally, people want to have an opinion, want people to stand behind them." "And I think that's what we're seeing. Like, 'Oh, let's pick apart something new,'" she continues. "But if you pay attention to Rachel and I, of course, it is hard for us. But I think our sisterhood is something so special that nobody's seen before. I think it allows us to be more vulnerable with each other because we know that there's someone else by our side." Craig Sjodin/ABC The Bachelorette Season 19: Who Has Been Eliminated and Who Is Still in the Competition Noting that "there's a lot of good in it," she adds how the new season offers "two different love stories" and "two different personalities to reach a bigger audience." "So if you pay attention, we're not pitting ourselves against each other. We're not in any competition. That's other people creating the narrative," Gabby affirms. "So now it's like whatever, but our friendship has grown so much. And it's something that I know I take away from this experience, in this season in particular, that nobody else gets to. And that's truly invaluable to me." 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. As Gabby denies any rivalry rumors between her and Rachel, she admits that they both "have our insecure moments," although she doesn't think "it stems from competition." "I think these things, if they were to happen independently of each other, or if we were just on a season by ourselves, we would also have lows and insecurities," the former NFL cheerleader says. "It's less about the competition and more about our culture of dating. It's hard." Gabby continues: "And I think some of these guys are showing their true colors. I think that we're being really vulnerable with ourselves, but I truly think the underlying message is more not the competition." "These guys are making us hurt, and they're being pitted against each other," she elaborates. "Dating's hard, and you're not the only one dating in the world. You have other women and other options. So I think that it brings that narrative to light because I know a lot of women have been in our shoes and have felt how we have felt. And I think this season, more than ever, they can really relate to it because it's exemplified with the two of us." Everything to Know About The Bachelorette Season 19 During the chat, Rachel also tells PEOPLE that her bond with Gabby has strengthened since embarking on the journey together. "Me and Gabby went into this knowing that we were going to respect each other, have open communication," she shares. "And we really did that the entire time." "There was never really a decision in the beginning we didn't make without one another. We were always there to support one another," she says. "You can see us having our bad days. I'll have a bad day, and then something similar happens to her. So I think if anything, we just grew more than we could have imagined as friends." RELATED: The Bachelorette's Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey Shockingly Cancel Their First Rose Ceremony The pair's quest for love will continue next week after the show recently switched up the format by allocating a group of men for Gabby and another for Rachel. The move came after one of their potential suitors, Hayden, declared he'd prefer to pursue Rachel because he found Gabby "rough around the edges." Hayden, 29, claimed Gabby had used those exact words to describe herself, so he didn't see an issue with using them too. "I don't want to just settle," Hayden said to the disengaged group. "I can tell you right now, I don't see how any guy in here can be like, 'I want to f---ing marry these girls.'" Hayden has since been sent home. That same episode, Gabby extended roses to Nate, Erich, Johnny, Michael and Mario, while Rachel gave hers to Aven, Meatball, Zach, Ethan and Logan. The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.