Big Brother All-Star Season 22 contestants were taken off of show after positive coronavirus tests, Julie Chen confirms as new season about to air
Some of the contestants Big Brother All-Star were taken off of the show after testing positive for the coronavirus.
The show’s host Julie Chen told CBS LA on Tuesday that the pandemic impacted the casting process for the new season.
‘We flew in a bunch of people, more than 16,’ the TV personality, 50, said. ‘And some people I thought were definitely going in the house, they tested positive for COVID-19 so they couldn’t go in. And I thought, “Well, expect the unexpected.'”
The latest: Some of the contestants Big Brother All-Star were taken off of the show after testing positive for the coronavirus, according to Julie Chen
Chen said she would ‘just find out when [she needs] to find out.’
She explained the schematics behind producing the series amid the complicated times of the virus, saying that each cast member was sequestered in a home for two weeks and ‘constantly’ tested before joining the house.
She noted of the show, ‘We were the original quarantine. We did this 20 years ago and it’s like, we were ahead of our time. And now we’re all living in quarantine.’
Chen said it was ‘going to be interesting’ to see how the new season unfolds amid the shifting times.
Precautions: Each cast member was sequestered in a home for two weeks and ‘constantly’ tested before joining the house, Chen said
Changing times: Chen said that there will also be no audiences on hand, and grocery deliveries to the quarters will be disinfected upon delivery
‘They’ve played this game before, some of them know each other from the Big Brother world and some of them don’t. But I’m sure they’ve all heard of each other,’ she said.
Chen elaborated to ET about how she and the cast were looking to stay ahead of the virus amid the close quarters.
‘I’m doing testing. I’m doing testing again and then I’m going to do more testing,’ Chen said. ‘I’ll be farther than ever from the houseguests as they get evicted. No hugs, not even a Chenbot handshake.
Reality TV precedes reality: Chen noted of the show, ‘We were the original quarantine. We did this 20 years ago and it’s like, we were ahead of our time. And now we’re all living in quarantine’
Change of pace: Chen said it was ‘going to be interesting’ to see how the new season unfolds amid the shifting times
‘There’s too much on the line to not go above and beyond the protocol to make sure everyone is safe.’
She said that there will also be no audiences on hand, and grocery deliveries to the quarters will be disinfected upon delivery.
The new season of Big Brother: All-Stars is set to debut on CBS Wednesday at 9/8c.