‘Big Brother’ Production Prep Begins, Awaits Sign-Off From Union & Guilds
There has been rumor after rumor when it comes to Season 22 of Big Brother, but the first solid and reliable piece of information is finally here. Deadline is reporting that Big Brother has begun its production preparation for the next season, but before filming can begin, there needs to be a sign-off from the union and guilds. The house is officially under construction, as a new atmosphere for the houseguests is created, but don’t expect a sneak peek right away.
Production is underway at the normal spot for Big Brother, on the CBS Radford lot in Los Angeles. The news from Deadline almost guarantees that the show will air sometime this summer. It’s been speculated on social media that the show will debut mid-July or the beginning of August, but CBS has not made any announcements at this time.
Deadline has also noted that there has been no word on casting. Some die-hard fans of the series are already convinced that Season 22 is going to be an All-Stars season consisting of previous winners like Dan Gheesling, Josh Martinez, and Derrick Levasseur. That has yet to be confirmed as well.
According to the outlet, production for the next season of Big Brother will be “relatively COVID-proof” with crew members being tested for the coronavirus regularly, while also following every precaution during filming.
Last month CBS President Kelly Kahl spoke with Deadline about getting shows like Big Brother back on the air during the pandemic.
“We still hope to have [these shows] on the air this summer, it could be a little later than usual but we’re still optimistic about getting those on,” he commented. “Those shows turn around pretty quickly, ‘Big Brother’ has live shows every week and… those shows do not have long post processes.”
Kelly was also referring to Love Island, which should follow in the footsteps of Big Brother if everything goes according to plan. The reality show follows the same sort of format as Big Brother, with contestants being filmed constantly and no camera crews in sight.
The crew working on production prep are reportedly outfitted with PPE and are following the rules of social distancing as they work to bring the show back to CBS’ primetime schedule. They are reportedly following very strict guidelines when it comes to health and safety, which will be heavily regulated when the show eventually starts filming in the coming weeks. Julie Chen is expected back as host.
