Clare Crawley’s Season Of ‘The Bachelorette’ Remains On Hold, Chris Harrison Says No Filming Until It’s Safe
The Bachelorette is on hold indefinitely. Filming for Clare Crawley’s season of the ABC dating show will remain on hiatus until it is safe to resume production, according to longtime show host Chris Harrison.
In a new interview with People, Harrison said The Bachelorette can’t resume until the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is under control. The reality show was halted earlier this month on the very day that Clare’s limo meet and greets were supposed to be filmed at The Bachelor mansion in California.
“Until we can do this show and do it safely, we won’t do it,” Harrison told People of The Bachelorette timeline.
“Right now we are just on hold and it’s being postponed. But we’re all chomping at the bit to get back to it and to have Clare be our Bachelorette.”
Harrison also revealed that Clare, who at age 39 is the oldest Bachelorette star in the history of the show, is safely sequestering at home and that she lives by herself. He added that if the timing had been different, Clare would now be quarantining with her future husband instead of dreaming about who he will be.
When the production of The Bachelorette does resume, there will likely be a very different vibe as the show addresses the health pandemic that halted everything. Harrison predicted that there will be conversations about the pandemic and questions about who Clare’s suitors were quarantining with. The longtime ABC host noted that some people may even be afraid to hug this season, but he added that the “beauty” of the show is that it reflects what’s going on in the real world.
Harrison acknowledged that since Clare was given her phone back when production shut down, she’s probably looking up the suitors who were originally announced for her cast. Luckily, that probably won’t be a problem because some of those guys — ranging in age from 23 to 43, with an average age of 29– may not be on Clare’s season now.
Harrison previously teased that the original suitors chosen for Clare’s season were let go from their contracts when filming was postponed. The Bachelor host confirmed that at least some new and possibly older guys will be cast to date the 39-year-old Sacramento hairstylist.
Harrison also said that with The Bachelorette in limbo, there is no update on the return of Bachelor In Paradise, the summertime spinoff that usually starts filming in June and often includes castoffs from the previous season of The Bachelorette.
The Bachelorette host said conversations about Paradise’s fate are “premature” at this point, and that for now, Bachelor Nation will just play a waiting game.
