When Did They Start Filming The CW’s 'The Christmas Caroler Challenge'?

There are a lot of things to love about the holiday season. The movies! The snacks! The decorations! And, perhaps most of all, the music! Even the Scroogiest bah humbug-ers among us can’t help but sing along to “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” That’s just one of the laws of Christmas. Singing along to your Spotify playlist is one thing, but there’s also a lot of joy to be found in listening to other people sing Christmas carols. That’s where the CW’s The Christmas Caroler Challenge comes in!

The competition show features 10 extraordinary Christmas carol groups offering fresh takes on holiday classics. But we know 2020 has been quite different from years past, and many production schedules have been affected as a result. So when was The Christmas Caroler Challenge actually filmed?

Television shows have definitely been weird this year. Some shows had their seasons shortened as the COVID-19 pandemic started to affect things, others were canceled outright, and still others were filmed in some kind of “bubble” or using other precautions. Now, whenever a new show starts up, people want to know when and how it was filmed when so many things about life are simply not normal.

The Christmas Caroler Challenge filming timeline may make people especially curious, as there has been some evidence indicating that singing may carry an elevated risk of spreading the coronavirus. Judging by some social media posts from people involved with The Christmas Caroler Challenge, that didn’t stop them from creating another season of the show during the pandemic, but it looks as though some precautions were indeed taken.

It won’t surprise you to know that The Christmas Caroler Challenge was filmed in advance of the holiday season, but it actually wasn’t that long ago that production got underway. Dean Cain, who is one of the hosts of the show, posted a selfie from the set on Oct. 9, 2020. He also said that he was remaining “socially distanced” from his fellow co-host, Laura McKenzie. 

It also looks as though the show’s judges (Brandon Rogers, Mikalah Gordon, and Garry Gary Beers) were seated approximately 6 feet apart, and the singers also appear to keep a 6-foot distance between one another (judging by what we’ve seen in the show’s trailers, anyway). 

The television and film industry has had to follow new protocols since coming out of lockdown earlier in 2020, which means that everyone working on the show — including the contestants — had to be regularly tested for COVID-19, maintain social distancing, and wear a mask when not on camera during production. The result is a slightly awkward but still jolly show for all of us to enjoy.

Even though the show will undoubtedly look a little bit different this year, it will still bring tons of holiday cheer to people who could definitely use it in the year 2020. Watch The Christmas Caroler Challenge on the CW Fridays at 8:00 p.m. EST.