TV

Please Watch This Video Of A Wrestler Asking Questions To An Empty Crowd Because Of Coronavirus

While some shows halt production, others try to pretend that nothing's changed.

by Michelle Rennex  19 March 2020
coronavirus empty TV crowds

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Following the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation for an eight-week limit on gatherings larger than 50 people, many tv shows have either entirely halted production or have made the decision to remove studio audiences.

Popular TV programs like The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon and The Late Late Show With James Corden have suspended filming as per advice from health authorities. Even the uber-popular Ellen DeGeneres Show has halted production at least until the end of the month.

But for some, the show must go on. One of these programs is WWE’s annual 3:16 day, which, you guessed it, happens on March 16 every year.

Filmed in the Performance Centre in Orlando with as little staff as possible, Stone Cold Steve Austin made his long-awaited return back to WWE. Sadly for the wrestler, the skeleton staff and no crowd rule meant that his return was met with literal silence.

However, this didn’t deter him. Still playing to the crowd like it was any other normal show, a clip of Stone Cold doing his iconic “Hell Yeah” to empty seats has gone viral.

“If you wanna know what 3:16 day is all about, give me a hell yeah,” he shouts out to no response. “I SAID IF YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT 3:16 DAY IS ABOUT, GIVE ME A HELL YEAH.”

The pan to the rows upon rows of empty seats as Stone Cold repeated himself after being unsatisfied with the “crowd” response has sent the internet into frenzy — with the hilarious clip garnering almost seven million views in two days.

But as the show continued, Stone Cold proved that he didn’t really care if there was a crowd or not at all. Hitting each corner of the ring like there was an eager crowd at each spot, Stone Cold proved why he was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in the first place.

But WWE aren’t the only one’s still filming like there’s still an audience present. Just a week ago, a clip of Whoopi Goldberg welcoming empty chairs to The View studio also went viral for the sheer ridiculousness of it all.

“Well, hello, hello, hello, welcome the The View y’all. Welcome to The View. Welcome to The View. Welcome to The View. Welcome to The View. Welcome to The View. Welcome to The View. Welcome to The View,” Whoopi opened the show as the camera panned to the empty studio audience.

As the reality of self-isolation and social distancing continues to settle in, we can expect to see more of these hilariously dystopian videos of empty seats and over-animated hosts. And I, for one, can’t wait.