Siesta Key - What We Know So Far

Reality shows focusing on the inhabitants of a beachfront town are now a key aspect of MTV's programming, with shows such as "Jersey Shore" and "Laguna Beach" having helped build the channel's reputation over the past two decades. Among the latest entries in the genre are "Floribama Shore" and "Siesta Key," the latter of which focuses on the inhabitants of the titular area, a barrier island in Sarasota County, Florida.

The show's premiere in 2017 was a resounding success, causing MTV to order eight additional episodes on top of the 10-episode order the first season had. With the third season wrapping up in August 2020, fans of the show were thus naturally curious about what the fourth season would bring, especially with major changes behind the scenes due to the events of 2020, that would be sure to affect the cast dynamic. 

With MTV having provided the show a renewal in November 2020, here's what we know so far about the show's upcoming season.

Despite the renewal following Season 3, the show did face some challenges in its production, the key one being the global coronavirus pandemic. While the show did air in 2020 while the pandemic was underway, shooting for the third season had wrapped before Covid-based restrictions could force a shutdown, and thus didn't affect the series or the characters. However, shooting a new season meant the show would have to tackle the situation, particularly due to the nature of being a reality show that is unable to fall back on a script that could be written to depict a world without a pandemic.

Despite these hurdles, however, the show did manage to complete shooting on the series in a way that kept the cast and crew safe. MTV has now confirmed that the fourth season of "Siesta Key" will make its debut on Wednesday, May 12, 2021, at 8 PM EST. It's unclear how many episodes will be in the show's fourth season, but it's likely that this season will follow the same format as the third season, which consisted of 23 episodes broken into two parts, with a reunion special rounding out the season, which was also the only Season 3 episode shot during the pandemic.

Most of the show's cast is set to return, with a notable exception: Alex Kompothecras, who is officially no longer part of the series. This comes as a result of the producers firing Alex in June 2020 due to a history of racist social media posts by the reality star (via People). The decision was officially announced in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, and Alex wasn't the only reality show star to face consequences from MTV for his social media posts.

Alex's departure seems to spell the end of his girlfriend Alyssa Salerno's time on the show as well, as she is not listed in the official cast for the fourth season either. Given that Alex and Alyssa have a child together who was born less than a year ago, it seems likely that the show's producers were unable to conceive of a way to keep Alyssa on the series without making Alex's absence noticeable, since their lives are so intertwined.

Juliette Porter, Chloe Trautman, Kelsey Owens, Brandon Gomes, Madisson Hausburg, and Garrett Miller are all confirmed to be returning for Season 4. In addition, MTV also lists Amanda Miller and Sam Logan among the Season 4 cast on the show's website. Sam is Juliette's new boyfriend, and is likely to take on a bigger role in the series with Alex's departure.

The challenges of shooting in a pandemic meant that the show had to alter its storytelling to match the world's situation. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the producers plan to get around this dilemma by moving the crew to an international private resort, taking over the place to ensure the cast and crew remain in a quarantine bubble to minimize the risk of contracting Covid to the best of their ability. This quarantining would also explain Alyssa Salerno's absence this season, as caring for a newborn with limited access to the outside world would be a quite a difficult task.

Having the cast effectively quarantined together should make for some interesting dynamics. Especially with Alex out of the picture, it'll be interesting to see how Juliette and Sam's relationship fares under this kind of pressure. Chloe Trautman, in addition, will be departing the show, as People has confirmed. In speaking about her exit, Chloe declared the filming to be toxic, and it's likely that the cast being in such close quarters with each other either led to this decision, or cemented it. Whatever the case may be, Season 4 will certainly provide insight into the matter, and it'll be exciting to see how the situation unfolds when "Siesta Key" officially returns on May 12.