A P.E.I. woman’s time in the Big Brother Canada house has come to a premature end as the show’s producers halt production because of the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain).
Vanessa Clements is the only contestant from east of Montreal on the show, and her mother, Cindy Clements, said she hasn’t been able to talk to her daughter since the news broke Tuesday.
“I imagine she’s pretty devastated, I would say,” Cindy said.
Clements, a 26-year-old lobster fisherman from Mill River, is the first contestant from P.E.I. to make it onto the show.
A statement issued Tuesday on the show’s website said that in light of developments in Ontario related to COVID-19, production on Big Brother Canada has ended.
Host Arisa Cox said Big Brother Canada is a labour of love for many people, but shutting down production is the right thing to do.
“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.”
The statement also said there are no plans to resume production at a later date, and the show will wrap up over two episodes – one which aired on March 25 and the other to air on April 1.
Vanessa was one of 16 contestants on Big Brother Canada, and 12 were still left when the producers announced they were ending production.
Once the contestants are in the Big Brother Canada house, they have no contact with the outside world as they compete to avoid elimination and stay on the show.
Cindy said she thought Vanessa had been doing well and P.E.I. was proud of her.
“She was hanging in there anyway,” Cindy said.
With the show coming to an end, Cindy said she wanted to thank people for their support of Vanessa while she was on the show.
“Everyone’s just been so nice. It’s really amazing.”
