ABC has made the decision to shelve its planned “The Bachelor Summer Games” spinoff, Variety has confirmed, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the entertainment industry.
The prospective series, which had yet to be officially announced, was slated to air during the Olympics this summer, however, news of the show being scrapped for the time being comes as no surprise given that the Tokyo games were postponed until 2021 less then a week ago. It is still unclear as to whether “Summer Games” will follow a similar path to the international sporting event and also push to next year.
“Summer Games” was supposed to be a follow-up of sorts to the 2018 “Bachelor” spinoff “The Bachelor: Winter Games,” which aired its four episodes during that year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. That series brought together “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” contestants from around the world to a luxurious winter resort, where they went head-to-head in winter-themed athletic challenges, including the toughest sport of all – love.
The prospective show isn’t the only one in “The Bachelor” franchise to be affected by coronavirus. The new season of “The Bachelorette,” starring franchise alum Clare Crawley, was about to head into production right when the outbreak hit Hollywood. Although the cast of contestants had been announced, sources tell Variety filming on the new season had not begun yet. Originally slated to premiere in May, production on “The Bachelorette” has been indefinitely halted, and insiders say, at this time, there is no update on when production may resume — although, given President Trump’s social distancing extension through the end of April nationwide, a May premiere appears to be impossible. ABC and Warner Bros. Television have not commented on the status of the upcoming season.
Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this report