TV & Movies

Will Tensions Be A Mile High When Clayton Visits Gabby's Family In Colorado?

Hometowns are here, which means The Bachelor is ready to add some family drama.

by Kadin Burnett
Clayton Echard and Gabby Windey on a one-on-one date during 'The Bachelor'
John Fleenor/ABC

It looks like Clayton Echard is going to Colorado. It’s hometown week, which means the final four relationships will be put on the line as the couples interrogated the contestants’ families. One such family who’ll be examining Clayton’s journey belongs to Gabby Windey, the former cheerleader from the Mile High City. If Clayton hopes to go the distance with Gabby, he may have some stiff competition as the No. 1 man in her life.

That distinction would seem to go to Gabby’s dad. While his name isn’t splashed all over her social media, he does appear throughout her feed and is mentioned in the comments as “Papa W.” Gabby has referred to her father as her “favorite man,” “da best,” and her “number one fan.” In fact, in one post, Gabby explained in detail just how committed her father is to supporting her career. The photo shows Gabby posing with her dad and his girlfriend, while the caption reads, “Dad did 90 on the highway to get to my dress rehearsal on time lololol and his gf made him sit front row. All this time dancing and his support never [wavers].”

However, it’s no secret as to why Gabby’s dad would be so openly proud of his daughter. In April 2021, the NFL awarded her the Pop Warner Humanitarian Award for her work during the pandemic. Historically, the award is always given to NFL players; however, Gabby became the first woman and first cheerleader to ever receive the honor. She was profiled by The Athletic, in which she referenced her relationship with her family, during the height of the pandemic. “I have family that lives in Colorado Springs and would probably see them once every two weeks or once a month at the least,” she said. “My sister has three young kids, and my dad sees them often, and they’re able to social distance and quarantine themselves, but I would hate to potentially expose my dad, who could then expose the kids.” She also added, “It’s getting harder and harder, but I know that one day it will end.”

It does, however, sound like Gabby found a way to spend time with her family. In a post from December 2021 she stated, “Acting like I’m hot sh*t living rent free in the basement, drinking the rents wine, but fully aware I’m tepid don’t @ me,” while posting a series of photos of herself drinking wine in the sun. It’s good to know that, no matter what, Gabby will always have a place to go... and that place will have free wine. We don’t see much of Gabby’s dad in the trailer for the Feb. 28 episode, but we do see someone who may be Gabby’s grandfather. In the clip, he says to Clayton, “You better be good to her. I don’t give a damn about anything else.” Here’s hoping, for Clayton’s sake, he doesn’t get off on the wrong foot with the Windeys.