Hollywood productions have been in a tizzy for several weeks now, as those involved with everything from talk shows and game shows to soap operas and regular old primetime series have been trying to figure out how to resume filming under some tricky new conditions. Everything had to shutdown back in March, but some shows have been able to start shooting with new anti-coronavirus compliant rules and restrictions in place. One such show is The Real Housewives of Orange County, and we're now hearing that filming will continue, even though star Shannon Beador has now tested positive for COVID-19.
It was just three days ago that Shannon Beador took to her Instagram page and revealed that she and all three of her teenage daughters (Stella, Sophie, and Adeline) have tested positive for the virus. According to a report from TMZ, sources close to the production have said that The Real Housewives of Orange County will continue to film the other housewives (who include Gina Kirschenheiter, Braunwyn Windham-Burke, Emily Simpson, the controversial Kelly Dodd, and new cast member Elizabeth Vargas) for the upcoming Season 15 of Bravo's hit reality show. Apparently, those behind the production don't feel as though they are at risk for contracting the virus from Beador.
Now, this might seem like a no-brainer for those who've never watched one of the many Housewives shows which have populated Bravo's airwaves since 2006, with an Orange County cast getting the whole franchise started, but it's actually a bit more complicated than it may seem at first. While each cast member gets to film in her house with her family (and might even have a dedicated crew, especially now), the biggest part of these shows is when groups of the women get together to party, drink, mingle, fight and do other things which lead to a lot of not-six-feet-apart closeness.
In fact, the cast took a trip to Lake Arrowhead, California just a couple of weeks ago when filming got underway again, but Shannon Beador wasn't there. This means that none of the cast or crew came into contact with her, and since they had just begun filming, it's possible that none of them had been in close proximity to her before that, either. So, it's said that everyone involved feels comfortable enough to keep filming. Though I do hope that any camera people / producers who'd been around Beador and her family have been tested and / or quarantined by now.
There are now a few shows which are either in production, rumored to be filming again or set to start up soon. CBS got the ball rolling a few weeks ago, with its soap operas The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, with the latter show even finding a way to use mannequins for sex scenes and the real-life partners of its stars for close-ups of any naughty scenes. The Bachelorette is said to be at work on Season 16, with Clare Crawley, production staff and the men chosen for her season all sequestered for the entire time at a resort in Palm Springs.
Meanwhile, Big Brother might be facing yet another troubling delay in production, with rumors swirling that one of the proposed cast members has tested positive for the virus. And, Keeping Up with the Kardashians has come up with a very intricate system in order to be able to get back to filming on the season which was interrupted by the production shutdown in March.
Obviously, trying to keep everyone safe is of paramount importance as filming resumes. This is especially true considering how many dozens of people are usually milling around on TV sets, and even a cast as relatively small as the ones found on the Housewives shows could cause the virus to spread like nobody's business if someone who's been infected hasn't been sussed out quickly. The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast is also back to filming for Season 13, and Bravo is requiring both casts / crews to do regular temperature checks, avoid filming in crowds, and having the crew members wear masks while on set.
If Shannon Beador wants to continue with the show, she'll have to test negative twice before she's allowed to rejoin the cast. Right now, she's filming at home with her phone if she feels up to it, so here's hoping that she and her daughters can recover quickly and without too much trouble.
