Bravo is getting back to business months after shutting down production on the Real Housewives franchises.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey are gearing up to begin filming season 11 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic with new safety precautions in place, TMZ reported on Wednesday.
News of the Garden State gals getting back to work comes as Shannon Beador, a cast member of sister show Real Housewives of Orange County, tested positive for the coronavirus.
Back up and running: The Real Housewives of New Jersey are gearing up to begin filming season 11 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic with new safety precautions in place, TMZ reported on Wednesday
RHONJ is set to be the third series in the franchise to resume production post-quarantine shut down back in March, according to TMZ.
Sources told the outlet that the cast and crew in New Jersey will undergo the same safety and health precautions put in place in Atlanta and Orange County, which have already begun filming.
The new protocols include temperature checks, mandatory masks for the crew and ‘a lot of scenes will be outdoors.’
It’s also being reported that the network is encouraging people to socially distance on the set whenever and wherever they can.
Safety first: New protocols will be put in place during filming, like temperature checks, mandatory masks for the crew and ‘a lot of scenes will be outdoors’
The outlet added that OG castmember Teresa Giudice will continue to be a prominent character on the new season as her storyline is built for social distancing.
Teresa’s marriage with her estranged ex Joe will play a big part in new episodes as the two attempt to co-parent their four daughters with Tre and the girls in Jersey and Joe in Italy.
‘Joe and Teresa’s frequent FaceTime calls and phone chats will likely be documented — they’re on good terms right now, and there’s no hint of a looming divorce,’ TMZ said.
Season 11 had already begun filming when all Bravo productions were shuttered due to the pandemic.
Built for social distancing: Teresa’s marriage with her estranged ex Joe will play a big part in new episodes as the two are living in different countries (built in social distancing) and the show will use a lot of FaceTime footage
Picking up where they left off: Melissa Gorga told DailyMailTV in April that season 11 had already begun filming when all Bravo productions were shuttered due to the pandemic
‘We kind of started but didn’t get to finish,’ Melissa Gorga had exclusively told DailyMailTV at the time. ‘So, we’re just on hold right now.’
Not long after the New York and New Jersey area became the first major hot spot for the virus, one of the members of the cast, Jennifer Aydin, had tested positive for COVID-19. She has since recovered.
Atlanta and OC have already begun filming with the new coronavirus safety protocols but not without incident.
Shannon Beador, from RHOC, revealed last week that she and her three daughters Stella, Sophie, and Adeline have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Health scare: Atlanta and OC have already begun filming with the new coronavirus safety protocols but OC’s Shannon Beador revealed last week that she and her three daughters Stella, Sophie, and Adeline have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Despite the diagnosis, Bravo is continuing production on season 15 without Beador physically involved because they feel there is a low chance anyone would get sick, according to TMZ.
When production on the show first started up again a few weeks ago, RHOC ladies Braunwyn Windham-Burke, Kelly Dodd, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson and newbie Elizabeth Vargas took a trip to Lake Arrowhead, without Beador.
Since they weren’t exposed to her, the production crew is confident they can go ahead safely. While she recovers Shannon will be filming on her phone.
Keep going: Despite the diagnosis, Bravo is continuing production on season 15 without Beador physically involved because they feel there is a low chance anyone would get sick, according to TMZ