As the effects of COVID-19 continue to spread across the United States and around the world, ABC producers have taken the unprecedented step of officially postponing the filming of "The Bachelorette" (opens in new tab). Given the time, travel, and group gatherings inherent in the show's premise, this makes sense. But fans are now wondering: will the season (opens in new tab) of the show's veteran, Claire Crawley (opens in new tab), air at all? Will Bachelorette's season be canceled?

As of this writing, no announcement has been made and the producers are just taking a wait-and-see approach for now. However, there will eventually be some sort of announcement.

In a recent post/podcast, Reality Steve (opens in new tab) gave an interesting (unverified) update on the new programming schedule. And they are going to have some major impact (emphasis added):

So, this is basically like a one woman Bachelor in Paradise. (I feel like this could get very boring, or everyone starts fighting and is fed up with each other by week 2.) This could have a major impact on "Bachelor in Paradise" as well. The show has not confirmed anything, but speculates that "Reality Steve" will be discontinued this year. Also, we will not know anything about the men on Crowley before casting for that show begins, which may mean that older seasons of The Bachelor will appear. So, a major schedule change is coming, but initial reports indicate that Crowley's season will not be canceled. Thank goodness.

In March, through a press release, we first learned that production had been delayed. Then Chris Harrison took to social media to explain that production was on hold for two weeks; four days ago, Crawley took to social media to explain that she was taking it one day at a time, given how much uncertainty and change there was and is:

And, class act, she is still excited and looking forward to beginning her "journey."

Reality Steve (open in new tab) speculated at the time that filming would resume in two weeks. He wrote: "Rather more like two months." (He was right.)

Producer Mike Fleiss said it was not too late to submit someone for Claire's season, but it feels like the production is completely rethinking her season:

But since he does not always tweet the facts (he Remember when we said Khloe Kardashian might be the Bachelorette? That said, Khloe's Facebook post (open in new tab) listing 32 potential men has been deleted, so her list of contestants may indeed change. Especially since these men have had to interrupt their jobs and lives and may no longer be available if or when filming resumes. But with travel so restricted, how will producers conduct interviews?

"Crawley" was scheduled to begin filming on March 13 and first air in mid-May. Then, according to "Reality Steve," "Bachelor in Paradise" could begin in August. This would also affect ABC's popular "Dancing with the Stars" show. Of the three shows in the Bachelor berth, Reality Steve believes that Paradise is the most likely to be cut, if necessary. However, if the schedule slips too far, Crowley's season could be canceled, and it is really, really unclear if she will only be the Bachelor in 2021, or if someone new will be chosen.

We will update as more details become available.

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, fascinating features, and more, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

Click here to sign up (opens in new tab) [25]