The Big Easy has caused major problems for the cast and crew of Netflix's “Queer Eye,” so much so that the six-time Emmy-winning show's eighth season was cut short and the Fab 5 panicked threaten to leave New Orleans. never to return
Filming back-to-back seasons in the summer of 2022, “Queer Eye” was plagued by Crescent City crime.
(Video: YouTube)
In one case, a production assistant was removed from a luxury SUV and the production vehicle was stolen.
It was not the first time that would-be thieves tried to steal the cars from the show. On July 2, 2022, two crew members were unloading a “Queer Eye” vehicle outside a field production office. Five men wearing ski masks tried unsuccessfully to take the car.
“The cast and crew were notified of the unsuccessful carjacking attempt, and production approved 24/7 armed security for the production office that evening” , as he said. The Hollywood Reporter. “As for the staff involved, they were offered time off and directed to available resources, including counseling, through the Employee Assistance Program.”
ITV America, which produces the show, hired Tectus Security and Private Investigations the next day “to provide armed security guards in the production office as well as an increased presence on field locations,” the outlet reports .
Just five days later, “the situation escalated.”
THR explains:
In mid-afternoon, two unknown assailants ran up to a production vehicle (described as “a fully equipped GMC truck,” as seen regularly on the show) and attempted to steal it, but were unsuccessful as the staff inside he closed the doors. The perpetrators then allegedly ran to another nearby Queer Eye vehicle, where a production assistant working for one of the Fab 5 members was pulled from the vehicle. The men left with the vehicle and the police went to the scene.
An unarmed black man yanked the attendant out of the car, he told police. He and two accomplices entered and left.
It turned out that the thugs were teenagers.
According to a spokesman for the New Orleans Police Department, it took about an hour to locate the SUV in the Seventh District. A 17-year-old girl was arrested and charged with car theft. A week later, on July 14, two men, ages 17 and 18, were also connected and charged with identity theft and car theft.
The show's cast and crew were understandably shocked.
The producers called an “emergency meeting” at the production headquarters that included not only the crew, but also the five stars Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Bobby Berk and Karamo Brown.
“The carjacking was such a serious thing and everyone was on high alert,” a source told THR on condition of anonymity. “Everyone got together and a showrunner told us what had happened.”
The meeting was “intense,” the source said, because everyone “was very scared and upset.”
Encouraged to speak freely, staff shared “New Orleans horror stories.”
While at a local McDonald's, two crew members were almost caught in the crossfire when shots rang out. Suspicious people were reportedly seen lurking around the parking lots and production headquarters. Security had to execute them.
The hosts expressed “frustration and fear”.
“They pressured the producers and questioned the decision to film in New Orleans when it was widely known that crime was a problem in the city, especially vehicle theft,” according to THR.
“The statistics supported the crew's concerns,” the outlet said. “New Orleans ended 2022 with the highest homicide rate in the United States, with 70 homicides per 100,000 residents. According to the city's WDSU and data analyst Jeff Asher's statistics, in 2022 there were 280 homicides, 482 shootings, 279 carjackings and 541 robberies.
France, a new father at the time, threatened to walk if security measures were not tightened, not just for the stars, but for the entire staff. He told the producers that a TV show wasn't worth dying for. Their fellow hosts backed up France's threat.
“The Fab 5 were very much about making sure their colleagues felt safe,” a source told THR.
Filming was halted on July 8 and 9. Crisis24, a security and crisis management company, was called. As a result, 20 off-duty law enforcement officers were brought in to patrol crew hotels and filming locations, the five hosts were assigned a 24-hour security detail, and within a week of resuming filming on July 10, a full-time security coordinator was placed on the field. Crew members were escorted there from their homes or hotels.
“Because of the collective steps taken,” an ITV America representative told THR, “strange eye was able to resume filming safely and without further incident.”
But not everyone was happy with the development.
“Costs associated with increased security led producers to cut the episode order from seven to six,” THR reports, “a situation that led to friction among some over lost pay.”
“They have paid us a couple of weeks less than we should have. I definitely wanted the pay, but at the same time I was relieved to be able to get out of there early,” said a source. “But I will say that I loved working strange eye. I love our crew and we have a great team.”
The ninth season of the popular series will debut, without Bobby Berk, who has left the show, from a new location: Las Vegas.
Sin City… what could possibly go wrong there?
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