The Real Housewives are reality TV royalty, and it is easy to understand why since the cast delivers what the public loves the most: endless drama. There is always something going on, even when the cameras are off. Of course, filming one of the most dramatic reality shows on television has its secrets, and producers are behind some of the show's most steaming moments. They seem to be as strategists as our beloved stars.
It is not rare that former cast members reveal unknown behind-the-camera facts, and producers also speak about it from time to time. Here are some secrets fans will love to know.
10 The Cast Has To Let Go Of Their Privacy
The fame that comes with being part of Real Housewives has a price. Once one of the women sign a contract with Bravo, they also let go of their privacy. The producers will have access to most parts of the house, children and can film phonecalls.
Before casting someone, there is a discussion about off-limits topics. Of course, they prefer the ones who have no problems in showing everything about their lives, and they tend to be the favorite among the fans.
9 Some Phone Calls Are Not As Real As You Think
The Real Housewives' crew has access to the cast phone calls. Those conversations are always on speaker, so producers are sure they can hear both sides. But the crew might play a more significant role in the talks than we think.
In a video, Alex McCord said that producers often motivated the cast to call each other when they are emotional. That increases the chance they will have a high amount of drama and even better scenes.
8 Dinning Scenes Are Not Filmed During Dinner Time
Also according to McCord, Real Housewives often have important scenes in restaurants, but people would be surprised to know that the meals are filmed in unusual hours. Usually, they will meet for lunch at 10 a.m. or have dinner really early. There is a reason for that.
Every time they film in public places, producers need people there to sign a release form. The producers often avoid rush hours, so there are not many people in restaurants, which means less paperwork.
7 Reunions Can Last Forever
Reunions are often the moment fans look forward the most. The one-hour special is full of drama, and the cast is overwhelmed with their emotions. There are always tears and fights, and we love that! However, filming the reunion is not easy.
According to E!, it takes up to 12 hours to film the episode. The day starts with the crew picking up the cast at home, and they drive to an unknown location. The cast doesn't get the address because producers want to make sure they will not have a runaway plan.
6 There Film Some Scenes Multiple Times
When people think about reality shows, they often imagine that everything is filmed just once. However, some scenes take many shots to be perfect, just like a movie. There were several moments that people caught the cast re-filming scenes.
While some fans might feel surprised and even betrayed when they find it out, that is something normal in most reality shows we love. They often film the scenes over and over until it is perfect.
5 Producers Trick Dramas Behind The Cameras
The Real Housewives is all about drama, and the crew will make sure there is always something going on. Producers have no problems in stepping in to create a drama or make things worst when there is a feud. According to some sources, they often send anonymous texts to the cast telling that another member was saying something terrible behind their back, and so there is a new drama,
When there is an event with the cast together, the producers will define where they sit. Of course, the choice is not random, and they will put those who don't get along close to each other.
4 There Is A Storyline
The Real Housewives doesn't have a script, but producers have what they want on their minds. Before the filming starts, they plan a storyline, and they influence the cast. "I'll put it into their heads so they think about it organically," a producer said. "I'll trick them. Basically, I'll sort of give them story beats a couple days in advance or remind them what's happening in real life and what we want to see in a subtle way, so they don't know I'm doing it."
The producer compared it to therapy on-camera since he motivates them to talk about tensions that already existed.
3 The Contracts Depends On The Drama
Some years ago, Aviva Drescher opened up about what happens behind the cameras. The Real Housewive said that she signed an eight-week contract, and producers made clear that if he gave them the drama they wanted, she would stay longer on the show. As we know, she went the extra mile at the end of the season, and there is a scene of her throwing her prosthetic leg away.
It makes sense since the ones who stay longer at the show are the ones who deliver lots of drama. Perhaps that is the reason some of them stayed just one or two seasons.
2 They Film Interviews Once A Month
Every episode, the fans see the cast commenting about what was going on during the interviews. The producers film it once a month, and they plan everything before. The cast and crew choose the outfits they will use for the interviews before the filming. This secret comes according to housewife Alex McCord in a series for RumorFix.
Producers also make sure there are no drastic changes in their looks. The cast has to sign a contract where they commit not to make dramatic changes on their look during a season. It makes things easier in case they want to film it again.
1 There Isn't Such A Think As Bad Editing
Commonly, people who were part of reality shows claim that editors were not fair to them. However, there isn't such a thing as bad editing. At least that is what producers say. The crew claims that cast will often say that when they don't like what they see on screen, but a Bravo's producer said: "it's equal editing for everybody,"
"It's you watching yourself in the mirror. Some days you will like what you see, some days you don't," he added. "Maybe one day you wear an ugly sweater. You're like, 'Oh my god, why did I wear that' when you see the picture posted on Instagram. Then you blame the filter, then you blame, it's Instagram's fault... You start finding different reasons."