Most of Hollywood shut down at the very least quickly in 2020 as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, however by the autumn many TV collection and movies had developed protocols permitting them again in manufacturing. The Challenge, MTV’s present longest operating actuality present, is a kind of collection. The brand new season, Double Brokers, was shot totally in the course of the pandemic and the manufacturing crew went by means of nice pains not solely to maintain the solid protected from catching the novel coronavirus, but additionally to make it seem like COVID wasn’t an element.
“Not solely did they innovate in manufacturing high quality, recreation creativity, and casting creativity and all that stuff that they innovated on — then they needed to innovate on an entire new mannequin, which was how do you create a bubble overseas?,” veteran contestant Wes Bergmann instructed TV Information forward of the brand new season, which premieres on Wednesday. “It isn’t like there’s Barnes and Noble, the place you may learn and clarify undergo this. They’re assembly with a bunch of legal professionals, and medical doctors, and executives, [to] determine solutions to this. I feel that they nailed it. I felt protected your complete time. I did not one time query whether or not or not they had been making dangers… You’ll suppose they must sacrifice on a number of the recreation high quality they usually did not.”
Most manufacturing units throughout the globe have needed to undertake protocols like sporting masks and limiting bodily interplay between scenes, however Bergmann says the newest season will not cheat followers out of the components of the present they love probably the most.
“They do not make any sacrifices. The membership scene is, actually, an extremely essential a part of our present. So they don’t seem to be going to sacrifice it, however they don’t seem to be going to unnecessarily put [us] in a dangerous state of affairs… I am not gonna spoil it as a result of I believed it was fairly freakin cool,” he teased, promising that the solid will nonetheless discover a method to drink and voice their frustrations in regards to the recreation in an off-the-cuff group setting. The truth is, he thinks the brand new technique could grow to be a everlasting fixture of the present, together with another COVID-inspired adjustments to the present.
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“As an instance that they do 20 various things which might be to maintain us protected and to comply with these new pointers. I wager 5 of the 20 issues keep as regular, long-term practices,” he defined. “You already know, you see it from a special angle, and you are like, ‘Oh, okay, attention-grabbing. That actually labored effectively.’ [The bar situation] is a kind of ones that I personally suppose goes to remain.”
Filming strategies usually are not the one factor shaking up this season. As with each new iteration of The Problem, there is a good chunk of rookies who present up and attempt to make names for themselves within the corridor of Problem legends. Bergmann stated that Double Brokers might need a number of of these rookies this season, however they will be coming from the feminine aspect of the home. There have been some nice feminine opponents added lately like Tori, Georgia, and Jenny, however Double Brokers is bringing in a number of females able to compete in all features of the sport.
“I feel probably the most commendable and tangible form of step in the appropriate path is on the feminine casting aspect. They went out of their approach to herald three or 4 both near model new or model new girls who’re forces to be reckoned with in each space that issues,” Bergmann stated. “The Problem isn’t just energy, however similar to every little thing. I am actually impressed with [the producers] for [the casting]. It simply makes it much more enjoyable to play when each genders are cutthroat.”
With names like Natalie from Survivor and Olympian Lolo Jones within the combine, it seems to be like Double Brokers goes to be a season for the books.
The Problem: Double Brokers premieres Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 8/7c on MTV.
Wes Bergmann, The Problem: Double Brokers