The producers behind “The Bachelorette” are weighing their options to try and get the upcoming Clare Crawley season on the air — but only if productions begin to return to normal.
After the show was hit by the industry-wide coronavirus shutdown in mid-March, sources close to “The Bachelorette” have confirmed to Variety that the production is looking at multiple possibilities to start shooting once the coronavirus curve has been flattened. One of those would be to rent out a private resort for several weeks, in which Crawley and her potential suitors would play out their dating fun and games in similar fashion to normal, just without the usual traveling to exotic locations and probably with less hugging.
If the show does take the resort route, it would mean that season 16 would likely more closely resemble the “The Bachelor in Paradise” or “The Bachelor: Winter Games” in scale and location. For the last 12 seasons, “The Bachelorette” has aired between May and late July or early August, however, if and when these new plans come to fruition, season 16 will likely be aiming for a Fall debut.
Sources stressed that the production is still exploring plenty of other options, all of which are contingent upon production being able to resume, of course. With the coronavirus showing little signs of abating in the United States and self-isolation measures very much still in place, it’s still totally unclear when or how production will resume on “The Bachelorette,” or most other series for that matter.
“The Bachelorette” was about to head into production right when the outbreak hit Hollywood, and although the cast of contestants had been announced, sources told Variety filming on the new season had not begun yet.
News of the ABC show’s potential plans comes less than two weeks after the Disney-owned network was forced to shelve another planned entry in “The Bachelor” franchise, namely “The Bachelor Summer Games.”
The prospective series, which had yet to be officially announced, was slated to air during the Olympics this summer, however, the show being scrapped was no surprise given that the Tokyo games were postponed until 2021. It is still unclear as to whether “Summer Games” will follow a similar path to the international sporting event and also push to next year.
Elizabeth Wagmeister and Kate Aurthur contributed to this report.