Normally around this time,
The Bachelorette is airing its first episode – you know, the limo arrivals where one by one, romantic hopefuls hop out to meet the leading lady in ever-creative and memorable ways. But this year, because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, production on
The Bachelorette (with bachelorette
Clare Crawley handing out the roses) shut down in March, right before they were about to film those fan-favourite intros. In fact, production on everything in Tinsel Town was suspended, from movies to concerts to TV shows. But it looks like there might be light at the end of the tunnel, because
The Bachelorette may in fact be back on our screens by autumn.“Clare’s season is happening one hundred percent,” ABC executive Rob Mills told
Variety, saying that production could rev up again in the summer, and as long as everyone is tested for the virus and social distancing measures are maintained, they could find a creative way to run the show.Now before you start
crying mascara-tears of joy, there are a few catches. Most notably, there won’t be any international travel. What? No gondola rides down the Venice canal? No waterfall makeout sessions in the Dominican Republic? No zip-lining in New Zealand? That doesn’t sound very romantic, but as Mills told Variety, they’re going to keep it domestic but keep it fun. “We’ve looked at everything — are travel restrictions going to ease up? And it just doesn’t look like anything is changing anytime soon, and what we would rather do is start getting the season underway, sooner rather than later. As of right now, the plan is to get a great location that has a ton of space where everybody could safely be together and we can still have great dates that still feel big and romantic, and we would shoot the entire season there.”Long-time host Chris Harrison added that while the details are still being ironed out, it shouldn’t detract from the ethos of the show. “I’m sure for Clare and the men she’s dating, it’s going to be a little bit different. We’ll have to lean into that a little bit, but hopefully not too much.”Variety also reports that because the limo-intros were never filmed, it is possible that the casting of the male suitors may switch up, adding in more faces and different scenarios as the show goes on.Guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this pans out. Hurry up, autumn![video_embed id='1949535']Before you go: Britney Spears reveals she accidentally burned down home gym[/video_embed]
