It’s been an intense season of Big Brother Canada, to say the least.
After the big coronavirus reveal, one self-eviction and two houseguests ejected from the competition, Insight Productions and Global announced Tuesday in a joint statement that they are prematurely ceasing production and officially bringing Big Brother Canada Season 8 to a close.
READ MORE: ‘Big Brother Canada’ shocker — 2 houseguests ejected, house told about coronavirus
With the added restrictions of Ontario’s COVID-19 province-wide lockdown, the production felt cancellation is the best decision moving forward.
“Big Brother Canada is a labour of love for so many, and even though it hurts to say goodbye to the season, it’s the right thing to do,” said Big Brother Canada host Arisa Cox. “On behalf of the incredible people who put this show together, thank you to everyone who started this journey with us. Please take care and be safe!”
At this time, Big Brother Canada has no plans to resume production at a later date. After a truly unprecedented season, the show will take its final bow over two episodes Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. ET/PT and Wednesday, April 1 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
There will be no official “winner” of this season, and details around the $100,000 prize money will be revealed in the show’s final episode.
READ MORE: ‘Big Brother Canada’ houseguest Jamar Lee removed from the show
Previously, on March 22, Insight Productions — the company that produces the reality TV series — issued an official statement revealing the steps being taken to ensure the safety of BBCAN contestants as well as its staff and crew members.
“Insight is taking every precaution to keep our crew and house guests safe on Big Brother Canada while delivering programming to audiences across the country when they need it most,” it wrote.
“The safety of the crew and house guests is paramount to Insight and as such we are taking every precaution to ensure a healthy set and workplace. Many additional practices have been implemented including, but not limited to, placing sanitizers at every entrance; daily professional cleaning and disinfection of all edit suites, control rooms, studio spaces, and offices; elimination of the live audience; adjusting the creative so that more staff can work from home, etc.”
According to production, no houseguests exhibited any symptoms of COVID-19 and there was no trace of the virus on the set of the reality show.
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Watch complete past seasons of Big Brother Canada, along with Season 8 episodes and online exclusives, on the official site.
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Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials say the risk is low for Canadians but warn this could change quickly. They caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are asked to self-isolate for 14 days in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. And if you get sick, stay at home.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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