The Valley Producer Admits Kristen and Luke "Hid the Most" While Filming the Show
Plus, find which part of producing The Valley was "always very challenging."
The Valley’s Janet Caperna left no stone unturned during a sit-down interview with one of the show’s senior producers, Ashlei. Ashlei, Janet’s “favorite producer,” was asked some of the audience’s most burning questions, including which couple from the series “hid the most” (or tried to hide the most) during filming.
Here's behind-the-scenes production secrets from The Valley.
Who hid the most from The Valley producers?
“Kristen and Luke,” said Ashlei when asked who was hiding the most from the — referring to Kristen Doute and her new boyfriend, Luke Broderick, for the win.
It wasn’t the only time the Vanderpump Rules alum made the cut during Janet’s lightning round of questions. Ashlei also named Kristen for having the scenes that took the longest to film.
The senior producer voted Jax Taylor the most likely to be late on the set. Meanwhile, she cited Jax’s now-estranged wife, Brittany Cartwright, having the cleanest home of the rest.
What is The Valley about?
Another one of Janet’s hot-topic questions included what about The Valley may draw in audiences. Ashlei called the series “a coming-of-age story” about men and women starting “new paths” and “new lives,” subjects that will ring familiar to many viewers, including Ashlei herself, she explained.
“I love working on the show, too, because I’m starting a new life and starting a family and all that stuff,” Ashlei continued. “So, it’s a great parallel for everyone who’s just trying to figure it out.”
Earlier in the interview, when asked which of the cast she’d trust to babysit her child, Ashlei joked, “I don’t trust none y’all to babysit my baby,” before she and Janet erupted in laughter.
She then admitted that expectant parents Janet and Jason Caperna did “a great job” on their trial runs on The Valley compared to other cast members, including Jesse and Michelle Lally and Danny and Nia Booko.
Here's what you missed on Bravo:
Rare Childhood Photos Shed New Light on Kristen Doute's Past
Brittany Reveals Jax Did Something "That Should Never Happen in a Marriage"
Brittany Opens Up About How Jax's Past "Infidelity" Left Her "Embarrassed"
“I won’t give anything away, but you have done great jobs on your trial runs with all the other kids on set, so if you had to do a background check, I think that you guys would be the ones,” said Ashlei.
Is The Valley scripted?
No. The senior producer spilled that outside of filming, people — once learning Ashlei works in reality television — often ask “if things are real” in the series. Janet herself admitted, “You can’t script this s--t.”
“I just like to tell people, ‘No, everything is real,’” Ashlei said. “We elevate stories, we learn how to track stories so that you know what’s going on and that everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end, but as far as things being made-up, we couldn’t possibly.”
Janet also wondered what constituted the best and worst parts of producing The Valley, to which Ashlei said she loved working with great people in the day-to-day. But the worst part of the job had more to do with talent axing certain storylines.
The most “challenging” part of being a producer
Ashlei said it was the team’s job to help castmates tell their stories, but the job became difficult when cast members shut down and said things such as “I don’t wanna talk about that anymore” or announcing, “It’s over.” It’s not uncommon to find a cast member ripping off their mic when they’re finished with a particular topic, both Janet and Ashlei acknowledged.
“When things get heated, and we have to hold your feet to the fire, that is always very challenging,” Ashlei admitted. “But it’s also, like, it helps us know we’re doing our job because we are always getting what the audience wants to see.”
Ashlei said that despite work becoming challenging amid the drama, all in all, it was rewarding to see “the big picture come together” in the end.
See more of the big picture in The Valley, airing Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo and streaming the next day on Peacock.
