Big Brother All-Stars is working overtime to ensure that its production crew and contestants can do their jobs in a safe environment. Some of the new safety measurements include crew members working from outside the Big Brother house and everyone being tested for COVID-19, among other things. Following the two-hour premiere of Season 22, Big Brother host Julie Chen reacted to the “strange” circumstances surrounding the safety precautions.
Julie Chen has been able to take anything thrown at her and embrace it, including the originally jeering nickname of “Chenbot” from the reality show’s early days. Now, she’s had to adjust to being up on the Big Brother stage without a live audience, while also not being able to come into contact with any of the show’s contestants. Here’s what she told EW about how it felt:
It felt strange. Everything feels strange. Sure, we are all happy to be back at work, to have a job, and to be working in a safe environment. All the safety precautions being taken are impressive and I am grateful. I pray this season of BB provides some much-needed relief and laughs for all of us while moving to a new chapter where houseguests can respectfully disagree and maybe show America we might not all see eye to eye but can’t we all get along? That hope of mine extends to everyone watching the show as well. We’ve all been in quarantine for five months now... and now we all know firsthand how hard it is.
I can only imagine how bizarre it feels to be back at work in a whole new environment. Naturally, that feeling is understandable, considering the circumstances and the fact that everyone’s doing the best they can right now. However, it does kind of suck that Julie Chen, who's known to give the contestants hugs and visit the Big Brother house personally, can’t do any of that this season. That said, I also hope that the audience gets some “laughs” in this season, because it really has been a long five months in quarantine.
Despite all the new safety guidelines, Big Brother All-Stars seems to be firing on all cylinders so far. The show has a cool new house design and the All-Stars cast line-up is impressive. Who was Julie Chen most excited to see again of the contestants? That would be David. Chen says she loves his “positivity and quiet wisdom” and hopes that he makes it through to the end.
Big Brother All-Stars isn’t the only show to get underway with production. Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, and Family Feud have all resumed filming. Over on the scripted side of television, CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful has also picked back up with production. CW staples like The Flash and Riverdale are expected to resume filming soon, while Netflix’s The Witcher has set its filming return date for August 17.
A new episode of Big Brother All-Stars will air on Sunday, August 9 at 10:00 p.m. ET. For more on what to watch, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule.
