Hannah B’s journey for love is the talk of the town in Newport

Isabella Gentile, Features Editor

Hannah Brown, known to many fans as “Alabama Hannah,” is ready to find love on The Bachelorette, and one of the show’s filming destinations for this upcoming season is less than an hour away from RWU.

The Bachelorette cast and crew has been filming in Newport since March 21 and their time there is set to come to an end on Sunday, March 31. 

It was first reported just under a month ago that NKZ Productions, Inc., the production company for The Bachelor franchise, requested permission from the Newport City Council to film for this upcoming season at various locations in town. 

Gurney’s Newport Resort & Marina, the Clarke Cooke House and the Cliff Walk were just a handful of the venues included in their request. According to the letter, the company also requested permission to utilize the Jane Pickens Theater for “a musical performance/private concert.”

Freshman Madeline Jarvis works at The Black Pearl, a restaurant and bar in Bannister’s Wharf. It is one of the locations that the company requested filming access for in the letter. Given that episodes of The Bachelor/The Bachelorette are often filmed in exotic or international locations such as Thailand and the Bahamas, Jarvis notes that it is nice to see the production come to a smaller area.

“I think it’s pretty cool that they’re bringing it to a town that’s much smaller than anything like New York or anywhere in California,” Jarvis said. “Having reality TV filmed in Newport/locally is something that’s new and exciting around here.”

Since this announcement was released, there has been much speculation among local residents regarding which specific venues will end up being chosen, what days and times the crew will be filming during and how people can potentially become extras on the show.

A few Twitter users have tweeted at Reality Steve, a blogger who is credited with revealing accurate spoilers for multiple seasons of The Bachelor/The Bachelorette, wondering if he could provide insight on where the crew might be filming.

One tweet from March 24, posted by user @SoxGrlsRMoreFun, read, “@RealitySteve bachelorette filming in Newport? Any insight? The whole dang town is silent on the matter. I need to know what’s going on in my own backyard!”

In the past week, an announcement has been circling social media outlets, inviting “Rhode Island Bachelor Nation” members to email [email protected] for a chance to attend a public filming of the show in Newport. Two dates were listed, March 29 and March 30. It specified that members of the media could not attend, and that those in attendance must be over the age of 18.

Though much of the filming details have been kept quiet amongst business owners in the area, there might still be a chance for fans to spot Hannah and her suitors out and about locally. NKZ Productions even requested filming access for the Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum in Bristol, which is less than a five minute drive from campus.

Whether you have the chance to see Hannah B. in Newport this week or not, you can see all of the action go down on her season of The Bachelorette, which premieres on May 13. Tune in and be prepared to watch all of her romantic adventures in the area.