'Big Brother' Casting Director Hints Season 22 Still a Go Despite Coronavirus Shutdowns

Despite lingering concerns over the fate of multiple series amid the coronavirus pandemic, Big Brother Season 22 is reportedly still a go. Although reports recently surfaced suggesting that the upcoming season of the CBS reality series would be scrapped, recent tweets from the series' casting director Robyn Kass suggest that business is continuing as usual.

In a tweet shared with her followers on April 3, Kass wrote that the application deadline for Season 22 was fast approaching. She included a link to the application page, which reads, in part, "As always, our team will be traveling the country again this year searching for great game players. Please check back soon for open calls and events in a city near you." In an update on April 5, Kass wrote that the application deadline had ended, though she was still receiving emails from some Big Brother hopefuls.

The #BB22 application has been open for 6 months, yet every year we get flooded w emails the day after the deadline from people pleading to still apply. Sorry, it’s the same deadline for everyone applying on line. #SIXMONTHS #noregrets

— Robyn Kass (@Kassting) April 5, 2020

In response, many fans wrote that they had held off on applying due to the pandemic, with one person writing that they "figured the season would be called off before it starts." A second person echoed that sentiment, replying, "Hmm yeah I figured this would be cancelled or postponed."

That final came just a day before The Hollywood Reporter published a report regarding how broadcast networks are handling the pandemic, many scrambling to fill in holes in scheduling left by series that have been forced to halt production. In the report, the outlet suggested that CBS "will be without new seasons of Big Brother and Love Island, neither of which had been shot before the world stopped." It added that the network would likely fill those empty spots with repeats of scripted originals as well as a full season of The Amazing Race.

As the Inquisitr reports, filming on Big Brother typically begins in late June, meaning that there is still some time to determine if production can begin on the series for the 2020 season. Host Julie Chen had previously announced casting calls for the upcoming season, sharing a photo to Instagram of herself peeking outside the Diary Room in the Big Brother house, though she has not provided any further updates.

However, with dozens of shows suspending production indefinitely, and a number of big festivals and other events rescheduling their summer dates, it seems just as likely that Season 22 could be postponed. President Donald Trump has extended his social distancing guidelines through the month of April in an effort to flatten the curve, but it remains unclear how long those guidelines will remain in place.