A colleague of mine who once worked on ABC’S Bachelor/Bachelorette stunned me when she revealed that producers of the series always find it challenging to find contestants who don’t have STD’s….specifically herpes.
It seems Hollywood and herpes go hand in hand. Don’t believe me? Ask Andy Cohen who is both a top executive and host over at reality TV powerhouse Bravo.
The network is home to many reality TV personalities, and execs have taken steps to protect themselves and their talent if a herpes outbreak ever occurs.
According to Page Six, Bravo has its reality stars sign an “STD clause,” in which the talent agrees not to sue the network if he/she is diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease.
Allegedly, the show Vanderpump Rules has a serious herpes problem, The Grio reports. Back in 2015, one of the series stars, James Kennedy said that his castmate, Jax Taylor was a “dirty, dirty boy.”
“It’s called herpes!” he said of Taylor to Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live.
Jersey Shore creator SallyAnn Salsano also said in 2010 that producers would give out the herpes medication Valtrex “like M&Ms.”
“Hey kids, it’s time for Valtrex!’ It’s like a herpes nest. They’re all in there mixing it up,” she said during a Hollywood Reporter roundtable.
Producers clearly know the risks involved when they cast desperate unknown actors to pose as contestants who are willing to sleep with anyone for 15 minutes of fame. But the network doesn’t want to be held liable for any STD’s acquired during shooting.
Bravo warns its stars that contestants aren’t tested for STDs. Meanwhile, the final 50 contestants on ABC’s Bachelor and Bachelorette are required to take complete health screenings.
