This Is What It’s Like Filming an Episode of Vanderpump Rules, According to Producers

It's no secret that the Vanderpump Rules producers deal with a lot of behind-the-scenes drama, but have you ever wondered what it's really like to film an episode of the show? Well, it's a good thing producers are revealing just that! From room accommodations on cast trips to filming nights out, the producers are telling all. Keep reading to find out some exclusive secrets from the team.

With so many cast members moving around during Season 8, it was important for the crew to capture everything. However, one particular move was a bit harder to keep track of. Trying to get a moving date from Kristen Doute was really hard, producers say: “We followed up multiple times a day… because we didn’t want to miss the moment.”

Now that she's all moved in, do producers have the house code to Kristen’s new place? “No, we have to knock, unlike her ex-boyfriend,” they say.

From episode to episode, relationships and dynamics change. So, how do producers keep up with everyone’s dating history? “At this point, we should start putting it down in writing, maybe create a SUR encyclopedia — but currently we just rely on our collective memories," producers explain.

The cast took a trip to Miami for Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright's joint bachelor/bachelorette party. For cast trips, production has to check their camera and audio gear as baggage. All the footage at the airport is shot on phones. Approximately 60 production crew members and 90 cases of gear made the trip to Miami.

Speaking of baggage, Tom Sandoval shipped a lot of his clothes — and props — to Miami because they didn’t fit in his suitcase. Makes you wonder how many outfits he brought on the trip, doesn't it?

According to producers, Lala Kent is most particular about her hotel room and tries to upgrade. “She and Randall [Emmett] usually stay in mega suites, so when she travels with the group, she has to slum it in a standard king room.”

No one ever declines a call from Lisa Vanderpump. “If Lisa calls, you answer. If you don’t, she’ll just keep calling you back until you do,” say producers, adding, “Lisa can be elusive on the phone and hard to reach because of how busy she is." So, one of the producers actually typed her name in Lisa’s phone as “Answer The Phone It’s Important.”

As long as there are a few girls willing to be on camera, producers say it’s pretty easy and fun to film at a strip club. At the club featured in Season 8 episode 4, production used one of the VIP rooms to hold gear and eat meals. “The room had a shower attached, so it was interesting imagining what normally goes down in this room.” Never a dull moment.

The club visit (where the infamous "Don't Do It, Brittany" sign emerged) was never meant to be filmed, so there was no camera crew with the girls. A couple of producers went to keep them company and filmed the sign on their phones. Producers had to get permission to use the footage from the club after-the-fact — and luckily, the club agreed. Good thing, because a lot of drama went down at that club and continued through the rest of night.

Here's one big shift that the crew probably doesn't mind at all. Everyone goes to bed earlier now than when the show first started, producers say: “We used to regularly film until 3, 4 a.m. and now we usually don’t go past 1, 2 a.m.”

Gaining permission to film from multiple places is quite a task — and the last thing the crew needs is for a venue to change its mind. Luckily, the producers haven't had too much trouble with that in recent seasons. They say the only time the group has been kicked out of a restaurant was in the first year, in Las Vegas, during the fight between Jax and Frank at Marrakech.

Which one of these behind-the-scenes filming secrets from the Vanderpump Rules producers surprised you the most?