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Part two of Bravo Summer house The reunion played like an episode of Survivor. There were alliances, side plots, and their own version of tribal council. The event, led by host Andy Cohen, didn’t have an official vote, but it’s clear which actor wants to start the island.
In the June 2 Part 2 reunion episode (now streaming, uncensored, on Peacock), Amanda Batula took so much heat from other cast members over the affair scandal between her and co-star West Wilson that she took an extended break off-camera. After she left the set, albeit temporarily, the cast urged Wilson to “go after his girl,” and while the couple was gone, other cast members — including West’s ex Ciara Miller and Patula’s estranged husband Kyle Cook — whispered about another relationship they accused Wilson of being dishonest about.
Josh Brown, Bravo’s current vice president of production, who was present on the day of the reunion taping, explains to Hollywood Reporter “Everyone is trying to piece together what happened, and everyone was trying to do it in real time,” he says. “I’ve worked on other reunions where people bring big receipts from poster boards and all kinds of props. But this isn’t a reunion for the props’ sake.” “This is a serious moment of reflection for the cast where they were really trying to connect with each other and talk and figure out what’s going on. And I have to say that Amanda and West are part of that as well. I think they tried to explain the timeline the way they saw it. They mentioned specific dates as well, which you’ll see in Part 3.”
Below, Brown delves into the decision-making process to demonstrate more strategy among the actors — whether on the couch or in the locker rooms; It explains the role that Wilson’s other ex-wife, Megha Moreno, will continue to play in the reunion; He goes behind the scenes during Patula’s exit (“Anytime a cast member leaves, you think they might not come back,” he says); Promise receipts will be activated; He clears up speculation about the casting for Season 11: “I’ve heard reports and everything is premature. We’re still figuring out the cast.”
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Have you heard from the cast between Part 1 and Part 2 of the reunion broadcast?
I hope. To be honest, I can’t really say that, because it’s a production thing. There was no special question about the reunion. It was regular production stuff that we deal with on the show.
What has surprised you most about the reaction to the reunion so far?
I knew this was going to be a highly watched encounter, but I was surprised by how much it reached into the popular culture zeitgeist. Talking to people you wouldn’t normally consider Bravo viewers, and hearing them say, “You mentioned you work on this show Summer house. I watched that,” or “My friends took me to the bar to watch it,” or “I ended up going to that [Carl Radke’s] Soft bar.” I’ve heard some celebrities are watching.
Do you have the viewing numbers yet?
not yet. With live streaming, it takes time for the full picture to emerge.
Last week, we talked about how we’re finalizing the cast for Season 11, which begins filming in July. There were reports claiming that West might not return, and that producers were choosing Ciara over West. Are you able to address this speculation?
I’ve heard reports and it’s all too early. We’re still figuring out the cast. Anything people read – we’re not there yet. We don’t officially make our decisions until later in June. We’re definitely talking about casting, and obviously we’re talking a lot about next season, but no final decisions have been made yet.
The uncensored version of Part One featured Jesse Solomon Saying he has receipts for West and Amanda’s schedule. Do these receipts, or any other receipts, play a role? Part 2 showed a lot of aspects dealing with the actors planning or figuring things out in real time, almost like an episode of Survivor. Does this all come to a head in Part 3?
Sure, sure, it comes to a head. There are receipts. I would say, however, that the receipts do not come from Jesse. I think I could tell by Jesse’s behavior and emotions at the reunion that he was wearing his heart on his sleeve and putting it out there. There was no more questioning when Jesse knew things or didn’t know them. He’s just a friend. But yeah, other things definitely come to light in the final part of the reunion.
Bravo stars have gotten smarter about these encounters. They bring receipts and proof of use, as needed. With all the side conversations happening and new information coming to light during this meeting, how do you handle that as producers?
I think what made this encounter special and unique was everyone trying to piece together what happened, and everyone was trying to do it in real time. It’s very expressive. I’ve worked at other meets where people bring big receipts from poster boards and all kinds of props. But this is no reunion of props. This is a serious moment of reflection for the actors as they are really trying to connect with each other and talk and figure out what’s going on. And I have to say, Amanda and West are part of that too. I think they tried to explain the timeline the way they saw it. They’ve mentioned specific dates as well, which you’ll see in Part Three.
Amanda left the group in the second part and took a break. How do you intervene in that moment? Are you checking in with her? Are you trying to find out if she’ll come back? What don’t we see?
When someone wakes up in the middle of a reunion and needs to take a break, they obviously need to take a break, so of course we let them. The control room is really focused on the TV production side, but there are people in production who check in and make sure they’re okay, see if they need anything and give that space and time to break. It’s really important.
Was there concern that she might not come back?
Yeah, I mean, any time a cast member leaves, you think they might not come back. This has happened before in reunions I’ve worked on for other series. It can always happen. You hope it sticks around, because I think people want to hear from it. But it is important for a person’s well-being to do what is best for them, so if she wanted to leave, that would be okay with us. She has to take care of herself first. We care about Amanda, West and everyone.
Amanda is clearly having a hard time on that stage. What do you think made her come back and decide to stay?
I also saw that Amanda appeared in[[Summer house spin off] In the city The first concert and took pictures with the actors. I think that despite all the tough things she’s been through, Amanda has always shown a lot of determination to stay there and stay a part of the series and the moments, even when it’s tough. I think it’s important to acknowledge that.
Were you surprised at how long it took West to get up and check on her, and on the other hand, were you surprised that Kyle jumped out of his seat to go check on Amanda?
I wasn’t surprised about West, because I think it was a very ambiguous moment where you don’t know what to do. Presentation aside, when you’re in a new relationship, sometimes you’re not sure what the right thing to do is when it comes to feeling like you’re in a partnership. So I wasn’t surprised – that seemed like a big question mark moment and I think it happened. As for Kyle, he has been in a relationship of over 10 years with Amanda. They are close and have a lot of love for each other, despite everything. This may not be the kind of love that works in marriage, but it is another kind of friendship. I think it really happened at that moment.
Were you surprised by how difficult it was to face Dara Levitan in the West?
No, this doesn’t surprise me. I don’t know if Dara made it to the West in force. I didn’t see it that way. She has always been a very direct and upfront person. I think she was just giving West her opinion. I feel like she would have given that opinion if the cameras weren’t there.
Levi Seabree and Dara had smaller roles In the reunification phase. What does that say about whether they’ll return for Season 11? How do you feel about the new cast this season?
Overall, in Season 10, we love the new cast. We are very happy. It’s always just a roll of the dice – a roll of a lot of dice. It doesn’t say anything about Season 11. To be honest, it says more about Season 10, since they weren’t always there on all weekends. I think Dara debuted in the third weekend. So that’s all he talks about. Doesn’t say anything about season 11.
Last week we talked about how life continues for this group even after the cameras stop rolling. Are you surprised to see Darah and KJ have broken up now?
That really surprised me. I think we’ve all been following the news, just like everyone else on social media. I really like them both individually, so I want the best for each one. If it’s together, great. If it’s not together, that’s cool too. But both are great.
Viewers got a sneak peek inside the dressing rooms at the end of Part 2 — West was kind of coaching Amanda, and Ciara was on the phone with Mega Moreno, West’s newly mentioned ex. How do you decide how much of those moments to display?
I think these parts played out longer than usual with the Bravo reunion just because they were so interesting. These actors are particularly good at letting the cameras following them disappear and transform into themselves, being real people. So I think those were real conversations they were having, and really important conversations, for both of them, in terms of what’s going on here. So I felt like we wanted to stay with them longer than usual.
Will Meija consider Part 3 further, and has she been invited to attend and share her story in person?
No, she was not invited. We will not invite anyone who is not part of the cast to appear in person. We’re not really interested in “gotcha moments” – we want everyone to be able to say what they want. But I can tell that Meija definitely had something in mind for Part 3, but she didn’t appear in the reunion set.
How much do you, as producers, fly on the wall in these moments, versus pushing them to bring this up?
We don’t talk to them in great detail during the day. The production team and the show’s hosts, who are so wonderful, will talk to all the cast before the reunion at some point to talk about how “this is your chance to really share your feelings and let out anything you feel needs to be aired. If there’s anything on your mind, now’s the chance.” The staff knows it’s going to a reunion, but there’s no ongoing training.
Have you ever considered checking in between now and when Season 11 airs, or a special reunion event?
We will consider anything if we think it is an important narrative. It’s not like we’re going to limit anything. There seems to be a lot of stakes in what’s going on and people are interested. So, if something really important comes up, I’m sure we’ll follow it. We will never hesitate to snap the cameras at an important time. I wish we could shoot 365 days a year! We can’t, but we won’t hesitate to raise the cameras if there’s something important.
Even before this scandal came to light, when the cast filmed their final departure scene Summer house Season 10, it felt like goodbye. What do you make of that moment now?
It really surprised some of the actors, I think, especially the original actors, about how emotional it was. I think it was uncharted territory for everyone. Kyle and Amanda were in a place in their marriage that they had never been before, and I think it was scary for both of them. They didn’t know what would happen in real life to their marriage. At the same time, Kyle, Amanda and Lindsay knew they were going to film In the city Right after Labor Day, after we turned on the cameras Summer house. Nothing said about it that this was the end of their time Summer house. But they knew, “We’re in uncharted territory now. We’re in a new series, 10 years after we filmed this other series,” which was very familiar to them.
Every weekend, they would drive home to the Hamptons, have a lot of fun, drive back and film during the week. And now they were in this unknown world of this other series where they didn’t have a home to fall back on. I think it felt fresh and I think everyone got into that feeling, including the production crew. It was emotional for everyone.
And I have to ask, are you any closer to announcing the Season 11 cast?
Every week we get closer, so yes, we are closer!
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Summer house Part 3 of the reunion airs June 2 at 8pm on Bravo. All reunions air the next day on Peacock, with extended, uncensored cuts.
