All the juiciest production secrets and filming rules the cast of RHOBH have to follow
Each housewife has a bible?!
A whopping 15 years has flown by since RHOBH first hit our screens. Some of the stars of the show have been there since the very beginning and over the years, they’ve lifted the lid on some super juicy filming secrets. When it comes to the production of a Real Housewives show, people are usually wondering just how much of it is set up and how much is real. With the introduction of some legendary newbies like Jennifer Tilly and Bozoma Saint John, this season of RHOBH has really amped up a notch.
Each Real Housewife has a ‘bible’
Apparently, the first document showrunners have to hand over to Bravo after getting to know Real Housewives cast members is a “bible.”
In an interview with Reality Blurred, Real Housewives producer Brian Moylan explained exactly what it is:
“You turn in something that’s called a show bible… an actual fifty-page document that literally outlines every woman, every story they have, and the direction we think they’re going to go.”
Confessionals have a set number of looks
We’ve established who’s who, and what their storylines are. Now, the Real Housewives have to decide what they’re wearing in their confessionals.
According to Screen Rant, the ladies get to choose three different looks for their confessionals.
The cast members have had some seriously iconic fashion moments in the confessionals and now we know why – a whole lot of thought must have to go into each one!
Scenes aren’t ‘fake’
There may be reshoots of certain Real Housewives scenes, but they’re really not fake.
A RHOA producer explained at BravoCon in 2019:
“Please do not think we script the show. We are not Steven Spielberg. We wish we could script it, we can’t. We’re following what they really go through…”
Producers get the final say
RHOBH alums and ladies of RHONJ and RHOC have reportedly tried to get “scenes deleted” from the show.
But, it turns out producers get the final say. Spilling the tea on RHOBH’s filming secrets, Brian Moylan explains: “The women get no say in what makes it on the air.”
Speaking to Us Weekly, Kyle Richards backs this up further by saying she’s faced challenges falling out with family and her marriage breakdown on screen.
Friendships are real
Speaking on the Producers Panel at BravoCon, it’s unveiled that the friendships we see on the show are real.
Darren Ward, producer of RHONY, said: “I just have to say that is the most important part of the recipe when putting a show together. If they’re not friends, just forget about it. Don’t waste your time, don’t waste your money.”
The decades-long friendships are apparently what “makes” Real Housewives work.
They have to follow a call sheet
Although RHOBH isn’t scripted, per se, there are structures they have to follow.
Beverly Hills producer Dave Rupel explained to Bravo: “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.”
Family feuds are real
If anyone doubted for a minute that RHOBH was staging fake family drama – think again.
Kyle Richards is clearing things up. Speaking to Us Weekly, Kyle said: “…by far, the most challenging part has been the family stuff, with my sisters.”
She adds: “My family comes with some drama. Being on a TV show where you dot have the luxury of picking and choosing what you talk about and what you show, really. That’s the most challenging. And, the stuff with my marriage.”
Kyle said she felt she “used the show to grow” and almost saw it as “therapy.”
‘No craft services’
The RHOBH filming secrets don’t stop there. Denise Richards said she had a rude awakening during the filming of RHUGT.
Appearing on Bravo’s Hot Mic podcast, she said she was super surprised to find out that RHOBH didn’t come with “craft services.”
For anyone who doesn’t know what that means, “craft services usually provide unending food and drink on movie sets.”
As a “grazer,” Denise was not impressed by the lack of snacks on set.
What are the Real Housewives earning?
The Beverly Hills ladies are living lives of luxury. Although that isn’t stopping Sutton Stracke coming for Dorit Kemsley about her “wallet” this season.
RHONJ producer, Katie Cassman reports in her Q&A how much the Real Housewives might get paid.
“When you start as a housewife it’s very little considering the time commitment. An entire season (3-4 months of shooting a few days a week) is about 20-40K.”
Hospital details on hand
Speaking to Bravo, RHOBH producer, Dave Rupel tells of how the ladies’ safety is paramount.
At the top of every call sheet, he says there’s “there’s a very important piece of information: the closest hospital.”
He continues: “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… 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.”
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