Details emerge on how Clare Crawley's season of 'The Bachelorette' will be filmed

By Carson Blackwelder

Fans of "The Bachelorette" are finally getting some insight into how Clare Crawley's season will be filmed.

The 39-year-old's quest to find love has been on pause ever since production halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March. Now, about three months later, ABC executive Rob Mills -- the network's VP of alternative programming -- dished details about the series' return on Ryan Seacrest's radio show.

Mills said filming for Crawley's season will start "in about a month" and precautions are being put in place. It will take place in a "bubble," meaning everyone will be tested for coronavirus and shooting will mostly be at one location.

He also said that it'll be "absolutely safe" for Crawley and her suitors to kiss since she and the cast will be in a controlled environment.

As for how dates will work, Mills said they won't take place in the Bachelor Mansion. Instead, Crawley and one -- or more -- of the men will go to "some sort of a resort" that has been scouted as a good date spot.

"We had incredible travel planned for Claire's season," he said, revealing that Italy was an international trip that has been scrapped.

Though Crawley's cast has already been announced, it's uncertain just how different the group vying for her heart will be. That said, she won't be handing out any roses to Matt James, as he's been announced as the next lead for "The Bachelor."

Regarding James' historic season as the first African American bachelor in the show's history -- following Rachel Lindsay as the first African American bachelorette -- Mills said they will "see where the world is" when filming potentially starts at the end of September.

"If things aren't that safe [by then]," he said, "we'll shoot it the same way [as Crawley's season] where everybody is safe, they're tested, they're quarantined and then you can have kissing and arguing and everything else."

For now, Mills is thrilled that James' season has seen a "record-setting pace" of women applying to compete for him. So far, 6,500 have applied to join his season.

"People love this guy," he said. "It's great."