Hittin' the Wall

Welcome fans! Tonight's episode took place during the fifth week of production, and it's just about that time that you first start hitting the wall in terms of endurance, where you're already exhausted, but the end (of shooting) isn't even within site!

This stretch of our production was particularly grueling because it involved a great deal of travel. Over eight days, I wound up on six flights. From Denver (after we finished the shoot at Camille’s Beaver Creek home) to Vegas (where a potential shoot wound up being canceled) back to Burbank (to touch base with the post-production team and re-group with the production team in lieu of the canceled Vegas shoot). And because the Vegas shoot was canceled, I wound up with a free weekend, so I retreated to my home in Sacramento for a few days. Then back to Burbank, with a quick boomerang trip right back to Sacramento for the shoot of the Sacramento Kings' last home game of the season.

And the very next day was Kyle's charity event! Sure, for the ladies, it's another fun party, but for the crew, it's another location to prep and light. I cannot thank my production team enough for all the long hours they worked, and for their grace under pressure. Because the reality is that our schedule -- trips included -- can often turn on a dime.

This was definitely an "all hands on deck" days, as two crews shot the party, while the third crew – which flew back from Sacramento that morning – wound up helping set up the lights. Long days for everyone!

Kyle's event was important for us because we were introducing two of our new friends of the Housewives, Brandi and Dana. It was a very organic way to bring them in, because Kyle told her friends to bring friends, which is exactly what they did. Adrienne brought Brandi and Taylor brought Dana.

And now it’s time for me to answer the questions from last week's blog.

Question: BostonViewer wants to know if the ladies have professional make-up before every scene?
Answer: Since this is reality TV, the ladies do their own hair and make-up when we are shooting. If there is a big event like Kyle’s charity event, or press interviews then the ladies may have their hair and make-up professionally done.

Q: Bailey wants to know how to send in questions for Andy Cohen to ask at the reunion?
A: Glad to hear you are already thinking of things you want to ask! But we have a very big season this year. Tonight was Episode 4, and there are many more still to come. Generally, we don't start asking for questions till the latter part of the season. Watch Andy on What What Happens Live in November and December, and he'll direct you to the Bravotv.com website, where they will explain how you can submit your questions. (Editor's Note: Check The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills page for more informtation as the season progresses)

Q: Several people were anxious for Kim and Taylor to begin blogging.
A: I saw Kim on Friday, and she promised me she was working on her blog. As for Taylor, she’s still dealing with a lot, but I will make sure she knows that people want to hear from her, and our sending her good thoughts!

Q: RllovesBH asks why we show the same footage in different episodes, for example, Lisa looking at the empty space next to Sur?
A: Lisa does look at the space in both 203 and 204, but they are different beats. In 203, she is showing the space to her husband Ken to first broach the idea. In 204, Lisa and Ken bring their business partner to show them the space, while Lisa goes over her ideas in more depth. Similar scenes, but not a repeat. (Though sometimes we do play flashbacks from previous episodes if we think it will make the storytelling more clear.)

Q: Spatek2 wants to know why we cast single women if the show is called "Housewives"?
A: Of the two new friends of the Housewives, Dana is engaged and lives with her fiancée. Brandi is indeed single. So yes, we are not exactly matching the title, but in the end, if someone has a great personality (like Kim or Brandi), we still think there’s value to having them be part of the show.

Q: LancasterPA asks why would the Sacramento Kings’ fans potentially be angry with Adrienne?
A: We thought we explained fans' reactions, but if you're still wondering, maybe we didn't. When a sports team leaves a city to move to another city, the fans of the first city often feel angry and betrayed that a team they have rooted for over decades has decided to go. I remember when I was in college when the NFL team the Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis in 1984. There was so much fear of fan outrage that the move literally happened in the middle of the night. (I know that not because I’m a sports nut, just that I was in college in Indiana at the time.) Also, the Sacramento Kings are the only professional team in the city -- so are fans invested? You bet!

Q: Rae777 wants to know how often we interview the ladies and do we wait till the season ends before we do it?
A: We interview the ladies all throughout the season. It's just impossible to wait till the end of the season, because we need interview bites to edit early episodes.

That's it for this week. I hope you enjoyed tonight’s episode. As always, feel free to write in questions and comments that I will answer next week.