Be Prepared

Welcome back for another week of RHOBH! Before I talk about the third episode, I thought I'd answer some questions that you asked me from last week's blog.

The number one question I received was when are the ladies going to blog? I'm sure you're all thrilled that they are back! I apologize for the delay, but obviously, we've had some extraordinary circumstances to deal with this season. Thanks for your patience!

Hwatcher suggested we poll the audience to see what they really want to see. In Hwatcher's case, he (she?) thinks the glitz and glamour are enough and we don't need to show the drama. Well, Hwatcher, this was a common comment in the blogs in Season 1. However, for every comment we got like that, we got another one begging for the drama. We work very hard on RHBH to be a three-dimensional show. We want to incorporate every aspect of the ladies' lives, which means bling, family, laughter, and yes, drama.

Viewer in Medina, OH wants to know how Bravo decides which cities are being selected for Housewives franchises and how the 'Wives are then cast. I've only worked on two of the franchises –- RHOC and RHOBH –- but I imagine they select them based on a city being able to show something distinct from the rest. NYC seemed a logical second choice after Orange County. While Atlanta and New Jersey offered unique perspectives. Secondly, once a city is selected, a casting director will be hired and they start their research. Sometimes they advertise auditions, and sometimes it's just word-of-mouth.

Deb Schneider loves the show, but would like us to surprise the ladies so she could see them in sweat pants and fuzzy socks. Well, Deb, I though the pajamas the ladies wore in Colorado were pretty casual and cute. But c'mon now. If you were going on national television, wouldn’t you always want to look your best?

Maryland Fan wants to know why in the opening titles the 'Wives are filmed alone, instead of with their families like the other Housewives franchises. Two reasons. First, for various reasons in season one, we weren't going to be able to show all the spouses or kids, which we felt would have made it confusing. Secondly, everyone wanted the BH franchise to stand out, be the blingiest of the bunch. So that's why the ladies are shot solo, almost as if they were glamour modeling shots, and we play as much of the husbands and family in accompanying shots.

RHLover wanted to know how we kept Season 1 filming a secret. Answer: we didn't really. For the first few weeks of shooting –- until Bravo officially announced we were a go –- we were an "untitled Bravo reality show." But once the announcement came, we always told people who we were. It's just the first season of a show -- nobody knows the cast. It was very different in Season 2, when the ladies got recognized just about everywhere we went.

BravoBravo has four questions. One: Do the ladies watch the footage before we interview them? Nope. The ladies are questioned based on their memories. Two: Did the people on the plane know they were going to be filmed prior to the departure? We always put out Area Release signs when we shoot people in the public, and yes, sometimes, people are surprised -- usually quite happily. But all the people you see in the background on the plane happily signed releases. Three: Does it take a long time to get through the airport with all that equipment? YES! Though most times, most of the crew is sent earlier with the majority of the gear and just one crew is left behind to shoot the "follow." Also, we work closely with the airlines to make things go as smoothly as possible. Four: What's the fourth wall? That is a show business term that acknowledges that we are in fact a "television show." Examples of that would be on the old Carol Burnett show or Saturday Night Live when one of the actors starts to laugh. That's "breaking character" or "breaking the fourth wall" because the character isn't laughing, the actor is. Make sense?

And now to the last -- and most charming -- question I received last week, wanting to know if the handsome cameraman in the photo is single? Sorry to disappoint you Real BH Girl, but that handsome cameraman is Parker Whittemore, and he is not only married, but he and his wife gave birth to their first child at the beginning of Season 2. But I will pass along your compliment!

Now, on to Episode 3. The thing about shooting a reality show is, you really don't know what's going to happen next -- and you have to be prepared for anything. Which is why I want to give some major props to the production crew. Each day they produce a call sheet which outlines the next day's shoot schedule. Times, locations, weather conditions, etc. But there is also a very important piece of information at the top of every call sheet: the closest hospital. And that is a piece of information that changes on an almost daily basis. Going on a ski trip, you have to assume that there's the potential for someone to have a skiing injury. Beyond that, Kim was worried her bronchitis was returning. So we are prepared. At any time, at any location, if anyone needs medical help, we are prepared to make that happen as quickly as possible.

Once the ladies returned to Beverly Hills from Colorado, the second half of the show features Adrienne deciding to attend the final game of her family's NBA team the Sacramento Kings, which was considering moving to another city and as you can imagine, was not received well by the fans of Sacramento. I thought it was a gutsy decision by Adrienne to go, but the concern her husband Paul and bodyguard Johnnie felt was quite real.

You'll see how that drama plays out next week! In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed the blog, and please post your comments and ask questions, and I'll try to answer as many as I can!