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"Honestly the billboard music awards is kind of painful to watch without an audience."
The third big award show of the Covid era had its shot on Wednesday, and it was... awkward, according to many viewers.
The 2020 Billboards Music Awards went with the most honest approach to date and simply decided to just do without the crowd altogether, and Twitter seemed to think it made for the weirdest watch yet.
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View StoryThe MTV VMAs had the unenviable task of going first on August 30, and went for a virtual crowd on screens set-up with fake cheering, which while super-weird, at least provided some atmosphere.
The Emmys shocked everyone in September by opening with a packed maskless and non-social distanced crowd... before host Jimmy Kimmel revealed it was old footage in what was a tension-dowsing gag.
But on Wednesday night, the Billboards just went for it without the crowd altogether, and from the get-go it was hard for viewers to avoid cringing.
Even the ever-torrential energy of host Kelly Clarkson could not distract from the deafening silence that followed every sentence.
Instead of killing the tension straight away like Kimmel, Kelly didn't address the mute elephant in the room until after Nicole Richie had presented, Billie Eilish had accepted and Sia had performed — to a surreal zero reaction.
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View Story"So it is no secret that there is no audience here tonight, I think we gathered that earlier when I was like 'woooo!' and no one cheered with me," Kelly eventually lamented.
"So the producers and I were debating on whether or not we should have fake applause; makes me feel a little awkward, but I said the only way I would agree to it was if I could control it, 'cause I like control, so they gave me this."
Demonstrating her remote with canned laughter and applause on cue, she boasted it also had boos, for "basically any time the word Covid is mentioned, cause it sucks the life out of everything."
Case in point.
Uummmmm there is no audience at the Billboard Music Awards....this is kinda awkward 😳🤪 #BBMAS
— Tiffany Brown (@MsFreakyGeekDC) October 15, 2020 @MsFreakyGeekDC
But that absolute silence is so awkward, can't billboard add fake applause sound effect??😐that's just too awkward, i miss the audience more :/
— 📍Hoda⁷ | 호다ᴮᴱ (@hodahdk) October 15, 2020 @hodahdk
Honestly the billboard music awards is kind of painful to watch without an audience.
— Bill Simmers (@billsimmers) October 15, 2020 @billsimmers
You’d think producers would do something creative and change the format so that it not exactly like a show with a missing audience.
Is it just me or is the Billboard music award show super awkward because there’s no crowd/cheering?
— Katie Jarrett (@k8jarrett) October 15, 2020 @k8jarrett
don’t even got a stock applause sound or crowd cheering in the vault?? yet you willingly have señorita ready for play??? come on billboard...😕
— ava loves JIMIN (@taegious) October 15, 2020 @taegious
Billboard Music Awards couldn’t figure out fake crowd noise?
— Austin Rahe (@austinrahe) October 15, 2020 @austinrahe
watching the billboard music awards feels awkward without hearing the crowd in the background
— jully (@jullypalmon2) October 15, 2020 @jullypalmon2
The Emmy Awards' method to a pandemic award show: do everything in one creative looking room with screens so they don't have to bother with an audience.
— nick-verine (@FearlessRiOT) October 15, 2020 @FearlessRiOT
The Billboard Awards method: just to do a normal show on a stage without crowd cuts.
Y'all think either method works? #BBMAs
I saw a tweet that said the Billboard Music Awards were on tonight. Who knew?!
— Jamie Wesley (@Jamie_Wesley) October 15, 2020 @Jamie_Wesley
Anyway, this is the strangest show. They're holding it in a theater, but there's no audience. They need to pump in some fake crowd noise. It's so weird! pic.twitter.com/BWHvM6C5UT
The Billboard Music awards is really awkward without a crowd! #BBMAs
— Gravy Radio (@GRAVYRADIO) October 15, 2020 @GRAVYRADIO
The Billboard awards are fucking dumb. The no audience thing is awkward and makes me not want to watch. #BBMAS
— Dark Skin Autumn Knight (@nice_two) October 15, 2020 @nice_two
billboard could have at least gotten a fake audience like the vmas did
— giyuus gf⁷ (@jooniechops) October 15, 2020 @jooniechops
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