Strictly Come Dancing might cancel this year’s show due to the spike of COVID-19 cases in the region.
The English dancing show Strictly Come Dancing could face jeopardy in light of the nation’s rising COVID cases.
As of writing, the country has registered 502,978 positive cases and 42,000 deaths since the pandemic began.
The producers of the show said that Strictly Come Dancing might get canceled if the country imposes a nationwide lockdown. Additionally, if a local lockdown is in place, they will try to obtain special permission to run the show.
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Despite the restrictions, the contestants and producers are preparing to premiere the show as planned on October 12, 2020.
The producers further added that they cant postpone the show until next year as the studio will be unavailable. It was previously shared that the cast, crew, and producers are taking appropriate measures and following social distancing protocols.
Precautionary measures
The show, to fit into the COVID-19 rules, has made many changes this year. The celebrity contestants and their professional partners are isolated and will not meet other contestants as the show starts.
Following the diagnosis of a contestant, HRVY, who recently tested positive for the deadly virus, the producers further struck the rules. They stated that contestants that test positive for COVID-19 would immediately face elimination.
The new rule requires every participant to take the antibody test twice in one week. If found to be positive, that will be the end of them in the show. This year’s judge podiums are also arranged individually, unlike every year combined seating arrangement.
Virtual reveals and canceled plans
The producers revealed that the number of live audiences is decreased to 9 from 12. The audience will also be seated individually and will undergo COVID-19 testing.
Due to the travel restrictions, veteran judge Bruno Tonioli won’t be able to grace the show. He further added that he wishes to return after wrapping up the US version of the show.
In light of the new decisions, the contestant’s new looks will be made known via video links.
Furthermore, the show canceled the annual trip of the contestants to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom.
Strictly Come Dancing Executive Producer Sarah James said that Harvey Leigh Cantwell’s, aka HRVY’s diagnosis, was a significant blow to the show.
She also added that there wouldn’t be any extravagant set decorations, as the producers opted to use an augmented reality technology to generate the lost in-live hype.
Image courtesy of BBC Strictly Come Dancing/Shutterstock