It’s been eight months (in real time) since Bernadette found out she was expecting on The Big Bang Theory, but it wasn’t until last week’s episode that viewers finally got a glimpse of her burgeoning baby bump. So, at that rate, we’re looking at baby Rostenkowski-Wolowitz sometime in 2019, right? It’s safe to say that even Sheldon might have trouble figuring out the math on that one.
But now it seems Bernadette’s pregnancy is right on track—based on these exclusive first look photos from tonight’s new episode, Bernadette may be at around six months pregnant. “I think it will be this year,” executive producer Steve Molaro told us regarding Bernadette’s due date. Whether he means the 2016 calendar year or the 10th season of Big Bang (which runs until May 2017) remains to be seen. Still, he says, “We’re trying to keep it vaguely chronologically correct.” That potentially means a delivery date in time for New Year’s Eve.
As for Melissa Rauch, who plays Bernadette, wearing the bump has certainly had its advantages. “The fake bump doubles as a pretty sturdy shelf,” she joked to us. “I rest my script on there, which is a nice hands-free bonus.” But getting fitted for a TV baby bump isn’t as simple a process as one might think. “We’ve been doing a lot of fittings,” explains Rauch. “Because I’m so short, the bumps need to be adjusted and customized to fit my body so that it doesn’t look like the bump is coming out of my knees!”
Take a look at these exclusive first look photos of tonight’s episode, which is titled “The Hot Tub Contamination.”
In tonight’s episode, Leonard and Penny have to separate a bickering Sheldon and Amy when their cohabitation experiment doesn’t go as planned. That might have something to do with the fact that Sheldon childishly threatens to break off his relationship with Amy when she refuses to adhere to the bathroom schedule (yikes). And then there’s Howard and Bernadette, who find unexpected guests at their house when they decide to stay home from a planned vacation.
