At this point, it’s no secret that Matt James will be the next lead on The Bachelor when the show debuts early next year.
Matt was initially slated to join the franchise as a suitor for Clare Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette, which is filming now.
However, after the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and criticism that the franchise doesn’t cast enough minorities, Matt James was announced as the lead much earlier than we typically learn who will be the man looking for love.
Because of his early announcement, that has led many to wonder if The Bachelor might be filming early this year and what the film schedule might look like.
The Bachelor filming will start in September
It looks like Bachelor production is working overtime to get the franchise back on track and get the most important ABC shows filmed as soon as possible.
According to US Weekly, Matt James and his bevy of beauties will begin filming the show in September in order to be ready for a January 2021 premiere.
Peter Weber’s season of The Bachelor also began filming in September so if production doesn’t run into any real problems, this would put The Bachelor and all of its spin-offs back into their normal cycle and all will be well in Bachelor Nation again.
If things continue in the U.S. as they have been going, we can expect that they likely will be quarantined in a controlled location just like The Bachelorette in an effort to keep the cast and crew safe.
Delays mean The Bachelorette won’t air until fall
The Bachelorette was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Clare Crawley’s season is only starting to film recently, meaning that the show won’t even premiere until fall and will be airing on Tuesday nights instead of the typical Monday night that The Bachelor and all its spin-offs have typically held.
Normally, The Bachelorette is filmed from March to May and then premieres later in May of the same year. That obviously didn’t happen this time around.
Bachelor in Paradise was canceled because of the pandemic, as well as Bachelor Summer Games, which typically aired along with the Olympics.
It’s been a rough year for The Bachelor fans, who had to trade a fan-favorite, Bachelor in Paradise, for The Bachelor: Greatest Seasons — Ever! And while reminiscing some of the best Bachelor episodes has been fun, watching brand new episodes is always a whole lot better.
The Bachelor is currently on hiatus and is expected to return to ABC in January 2021.