Real Housewives of Orange County star Shannon Beador sat down with her favorite producer Bobby to dish on the difficulties of filming a reality TV show during a pandemic. According to a Showbiz Cheat Sheet report, Bobby explained that the pandemic made filming a season already stacked with drama even more challenging.
“It has been an interesting season to say the least,” Bobby shared during the Bravo digital original. “Despite all of the stuff that happened in 2020 that was COVID related and production. The list of stuff that we dealt with and the cast dealt with, I think [made it] a very challenging season to shoot.”
The season started out filming normally, but they had to change tactics drastically once the pandemic hit. The producers captured the entire process too. From reacting to the initial news of the pandemic to life in quarantine, they covered all aspects.
Shannon recalled Bobby appearing at her house to film the day she found out her kids’ schools shut down. While Shannon recalled freaking out, Bobby remembered it differently.
“I’ll never forget about that day,” Bobby replied. “Is that when we came in, you [Beador] were strangely calm. I think for all the stuff that was going on, here we are, coming into your home. And you had set up on your table, you had all these supplements and all these things for all the crew. It was just a really touching moment to remember that.”
How each housewife has been handling the pandemic
Being the natural worrier that she is, Shannon also recalled being petrified by the pandemic. She even contracted COVID-19 herself, which is documented in the upcoming RHOC season.
The trailer for the upcoming season also shows that Braunwyn Windham-Burke and Emily Simpson have struggled during the pandemic. It appears to showcase one out of many possible breakdowns between the two women.
However, other stars of the show don’t seem to be as concerned by the pandemic. Kelly Dodd has been under fire lately for her reckless actions during the pandemic.
She hosted a bridal shower where she invited a large group of people. She was spotted not wearing a mask and much to fans’ disappointment, wearing a cap that read “DRUNK WIVES MATTER.”
What to expect this upcoming season
Many fans were disappointed with the RHOC Season 15 trailer Bravo released. Many were confused by how erratic the video was and feared that there would not be a strong storyline due to the pandemic.
Former housewife Vicki Gunvalson even chimed in claiming that the upcoming season looked like a “hot mess.” However, according to producer Bobby, fans have plenty of drama to look forward to.
The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 15 premieres Wednesday, October 14 at 9/8c on Bravo.