There's no way around it: award shows have been very different this year. Having a live audience is not really an option right now, and there are a few ways of handling it in various levels of creativity. The Emmys, for example, used footage from last year's show to make it look like the crowds were full.
The Billboard Music Awards on October 14th had a different idea.
They had an energetic host in Kelly Clarkson, tons of celebrity performances, heartfelt speeches — the only thing they didn't have was an audience.
Instead of having a virtual audience or editing in old footage, the BMA's decided to just forgo an audience entirely.
Fans immediately found the silence super awkward, especially because it seemed like the host and presenters weren't exactly prepared for what to do during the silent moments.
Twitter exploded with people sharing their opinions on how uncomfortable they found the show.
A few awards into the show, host Kelly Clarkson pulled out a remote that allowed her to fire off the sounds of an excited crowd, including boos at the mention of the pandemic.
For some people, it was a little bit too late.
"Honestly the billboard music awards is kind of painful to watch without an audience. You’d think producers would do something creative and change the format so that it not exactly like a show with a missing audience," one fan tweeted.
What do you think of having no audience noises at an award show? Let us know in the comments!
