Hi, I'm Megan Zagura. And I'm Eric DeMatt. And this is the Daily Dish Bravo's official podcast. To celebrate the season four premiere of Summer House, we sat down with two very important people.
You may remember Noah Santon, senior vice president of Carp Doctor for Bravo, who came on the show very recently. Before this time at Bravo, Noah was the vice president of current production of the Truly Original, one of the production companies that produces many of Bravo's shows. Noah developed, filmed, and produced season one of Summer House before coming to Bravo, where he continues to oversee the series. So he has seen it all since the beginning.
And of course, you know Kyle Cook, Mr. Santon himself. Turns out Kyle was a very integral part of the making of the show. We talked about Noah and Kyle to find out how it all began, including how the show was cast, the first weekend of filming, and of course, that iconic first summer house episode, where the ladies of summer party at the Hampton House.
Two words, Steve Jobs. So listen up. You're about to get all the insider deeds of what goes into making Summer House. So Noah and Kyle obviously wanted to bring you together so that we could talk about the origin story of Summer House.
But first, Noah, you wanted to make a special decision. Yes, yeah. I would like to dedicate this podcast to the biggest summer house I am that I know, which is my mother-in-law Catherine. Aw, hi Catherine.
Thanks for watching. That was adorable. That was so sweet. OK.
I want to know how the whole idea of Summer House came about. So Summer House was kind of, I think, in some ways, inspired a little bit by Vander Puff rules, which was a new show on Bravo, the new kind of a new, younger sexier cast than a lot of shows that had been succeeding probably at that time. And it was a big hit. And Bravo wanted to explore that world a little bit more.
And I think there were people who were pitching different ideas, different groups of friends, different worlds. We were always interested in finding a new unique world to explore to show the right. As much as every knows that Hampton's there's a lot of people in Summer House who have never never experienced it. We want to show that world firsthand.
But one thing was really like certain ideas about the Hampton's, you know, must be like, is there a great gasby? And then I'm like, yeah. Well, they saw like the D.D. Mike Party or something.
So we wanted to get real version of Hampton's. And one thing that was important, you know, the Green producer that was just what I was casting called. And I literally kind of jokingly showed up. My buddy who sat house in Montauk for 34 years.
He's just like, anyone is going to be responsible for ruining this town. And I was like, thank you. But I showed up. And I said, one of the four kind of Bravo got their fingers on him, kind of said, no, no, no, no, no, no, he's a group of existing friends.
I walked in and didn't really know anyone in the room. And I was like, I told the producer, I got a game. You've been with something wrong, people here, it's a small town vibe. You know, you out there and you're acting like you're acting like everyone.
So they had to kind of like, Evan Flow, for them to realize that, hey, a network like Bravo would take it up. If it's got a little more dynamic cast and what better way to have a dynamic cast and have a cast with history. So that's kind of, that was actually the spring of 2015. So we didn't even film until summer 2016.
Yeah. And I think that cast and those each other, if they have drama, where they have a relationship, it's much more meaningful to an audience on a history between people like actually, which are the people that people together to help with theirs. And if I could care. So you just kind of assume they pick the people based on their ability to clash.
And right out of the gate, I feel like that's just kind of, I feel like the level of drama is just going to be mediocre because it's like, of course they don't get along with it. It's politics or it's, you know, what do you say on a sexual alley? And just like the super basic opinions that a lot of shows kind of rely on. I feel like, do you remember how many different cast members like for before we settled on a final group?
Oh man, I mean, we got to a point where I just said, look, if I'm just at any time introducing friends, I need to have a better sense of what the end goal here is. I take my career seriously on NBA. I also didn't want to like risk anything as a lot of my friends didn't either. And so I told the cast, just come to a party.
I'm throwing a party for every charity. It was a nonprofit, 300 of friends showed up. And they just had their, like their, basically it was like a free-for-all. They just went around, no, I had a clue, there was a cast director coming.
And she kind of made their rounds. And so at that point they already knew that I knew the work it says, and we were kind of latched on to our social circles, but man hundreds of people came through hundreds. And some I knew very well, some I didn't really know at all. But you know, and for Kyle he said a few times to me like this is my summer all summer all summer, I want to enjoy my friends like we do every summer.
So this is something, you know, the house in Montauc group share and we're talking about coming times, and you don't have to worry about the show. I'm going to have to Montauc since 2005 to 2006 with my friend who hit the initial casting, you know, forward. But yeah, it was kind of like one of those things where you're like, hey, I work my ass off. And you know, how does this fit into our work schedule during the summer?
And how does this fit into the time that I want to actually enjoy the food to my labor? Because I don't want to come to TV. I'm just imagining like the bachelor where you literally get stripped of your phone. And you know, your career is like online, because more knows that you're going to be portrayed on that show.
Well, that's kind of what I like about the show because aside from not many people having been to the Hamptons, you don't live in New York. You're not necessarily familiar with the summer culture. And summer Friday, like that doesn't exist elsewhere where people are working so hard during the week. And then boom, it's like hard your ass off.
Like Amanda's been living two separate lives because they knew how the show, but in every inch or twice. And yeah, money's unfortunately she had summer Fridays because it's not like she could take every Friday off to the film. So, you know, I was just a perfect example where, I mean, I'm going to show where, you know, that's going on. Right.
And that was really important because if you're putting people together in a house, they drink a party all weekend. You know, you don't want it to be, that's their whole lives. So we needed to find people who cast people who actually had jobs who actually cared about their careers, who were trying to make something of themselves and use that as a state from that, from the intense pressure of Manhattan. And that's the other thing that makes, I have to do this, like we're able to do a city like New York where you just have to get out in the summer on the weekends.
Right. So at what point in this process did you two mean? We met probably six months before shooting started, something like that. And Kyle was a no-ness, but when I first saw meeting all the cast, I was all potential cast members and few others were trying to survive a lot of exactly who it's going to be.
And I'm E. Kyle, and he's the guy who's connected to everybody. So everybody knows him, but that's sort of the central thing you're in the past. And he kind of came in and kind of told me a little bit what he said to you guys of like, my job is really important to me, work as well matters.
I watched a lot of TV, I don't know what this is about. I talked for a couple hours, and I was like, this guy does nothing, he's any fun at all. And he met Monday through Friday. And I actually said, I don't know if he's a cast, but he's so connected to everybody, but he knows what he's handsome and you know.
I mean, I went into casting, it was basically all business. I'm just like, you know, this is who I am. And yeah, like, you're running a business, because I kind of caught with it. You guys, you know, the man's got to like, they're not quite understanding the play hard Kyle because everyone talks about the play hard Kyle, but all we're getting is the work hard Kyle in our various casting interviews.
And so I was like, well, I mean, I'm interviewing me on a weekend, I don't know what it's like. Like we're meeting in like a boardroom. Like I'm not seeing him at 3am and the kitchen just talking to himself. Right, exactly.
Shovelling through him. Yeah, the time was working on nutrition. I mean, it's like the most hypocritical business venture of all time. You're watching television.
Okay, so for the Bravo fans, we were introduced to summer house via Vanderpump Rules. So I want to know, with that first weekend, was like shooting with them. Oh, it was a circle because we had no idea what we were doing. without the call, you kind of forget the cameras are there.
We didn't link up with them until Sunday. You know, they're having their little girls, you know, hanging out session when I'm really around excited. And it was Sunday. We were having a, we were supposed to have a clan bake.
And, you know, we arrived at a beach with tons of Rose A and not much else. And these girls were fashionally late to say at least. And so by the time they arrived, I was already in the bag. And I didn't realize until I watched that first episode.
I'm at the table and I can just see them. Oh my God, I'm already face. And I purposely not, I mean, I knew Lauren and Ashley knew Stasi and I knew they're on the show that I've never seen. You know, I didn't want to look them up on Instagram.
I know I know who's single, who's not. I wanted to just basically meet them how I normally would, which apparently was black on hot tub. Well, and the crazy thing is like, you know, that was our first weekend shooting. And for a new show to start the way that we had to start, you know, which is what we're crossing around.
So that's kind of when you start a show, you have a brand new show launching, you don't sort of lock yourself into, here's where it has to start. You kind of shoot and you figure out where the natural start is. You know how that luxury, we had an end of them say we knew we were going to air directly out of the end of the pump. So we knew that we had to have a really special first day shooting, we had to have a moment at the summer house.
And we had that something happen because it has to be a moment, right, when you cross over from the end of the pump to summer house. And that moment can't be, let it just hang out at a minute. So we're shooting all day waiting for something to happen. And hoping something to happen.
And one of our producers on summer house, when we're talking about some of our producers, amazing and talented Sunday craft, had also been producer on the end of the month. So she knew everybody really well. And everyone played Stasi comes up to her and we got like a house in Christmas, and we were here, you know, back out. I was very cute and Stasi was saying all the time.
And, you know, sun was versus back. I was all sort of like everybody in the morning, and we were like, oh, no, we're going to do that. And then we were like, wait a minute, this works great. And I'm like, I had a great set of humor about it.
He wasn't like, oh, I missed my shot, but his girl, he thought it was hilarious. I mean, it's so very memorable for me. Not only this deep job is content, but like high five in here, because he couldn't see her nipples. Yeah.
I mean, I'll be honest, I'm usually like, you know, very much like, oh, it took me a couple times to watch that, because I mean, not many people make their debut. I was like, oh, okay. And I'm like, oh, I'm just like, oh, I missed my shot. But it's girl.
He thought it was hilarious. I mean, I'm like, oh, I'm like, oh, I'm like, oh, I get here. And that was slightly horrifying. But it took me a couple watches to appreciate how hilarious it was.
And one of the comments this stuff, when it was once the season one in there, someone's like, oh, my God. Now we know who Kyle is and appreciate my sense of humor. Go back and watch the hot tub scene, because it was like, a little bit construed. People thought I was just a dick.
Meanwhile, I'm just like, literally a tech entrepreneur trying to flirt with her. And I'm like, oh, I'm like, oh, I'm like, oh, I'm like, oh, I'm like, I'm like, oh, I'm like, oh, I'm like, oh, I'm like, oh, I'm like, I'm like, oh, let's go get a laugh. And it's like, oh, I'm like, oh, I'm like, that's the kind of stuff I like. So that's what it's like.
And so I'm like, oh, I'm like, oh, right now. I'm like, I'm like, oh, I'm like, no, I'm like, I'm like, I'm just like, come on, why am I just skit? I'm like, hey, I'm like, I'm like, no, I'm like, all right, hey, hey, can I wait. So all right, I'm like, hey, hey, alright, all right, wanna get down.
So when I'm going to be ready for my life, I'm going to help you to take a camera. I'll just go down to here. That can make probably like 10 deep and zero. We were as producers.
We were terrified. There had a couple places that we were planning on shooting that complications come up and talk about the country there and more so everyone was already scrambling. Carl was basically I think ready to put the show. He was, you know, it's a lot to throw some cars at the castle on the show.
He had less time to sort of adjust the idea. Suddenly he's staying in a house, or there's a camera in his bedroom. You know, there's a bathroom that he shares with 10 other people. He was stressing out and we were all pretty sure he was just going to walk off the show.
The Vanderpump Tasterage, we had all their camera crews and their producers, you know, on the summer house guys there. It was just mayhem trying to figure it out. It wasn't like 40 people. Yeah.
It was crazy. And everything was riding on this one day and making sure that we got six hours to get this cross over. And fortunately I was fully new to thank God. Well, not to get too much into the present, but we seen the superteas that you hang out with the southern charm, Kevin C.
Finn. So who's more fun to hang it with? Oh, they're very different. Oh, they're very different.
But we all can appreciate what we've been through. We put your lives out there. I mean, the southern charm guys really go full steam ahead. It's going to be on their cameras around.
I've party with them on numerous occasions. I'm like, wow, you guys give a PG rated version on your show. Oh, yeah. They're cameras going down at 11 o'clock.
And then they're like, OK, now it's party. Where we're like, give me a break. We've been partying all day. So off camera, I feel like those guys were in terror.
And then they're probably like a little more like us. They're more likely to lose a little earlier on the day. So really kind of depends on the hour. What's the same?
How did we find the summer house? I mean, we found the same way you find any summer house. You look at different real estate websites. You go out and me and Kyle and Lindsay went out in I think it was February or more early March that year.
And we looked at houses. And we looked at that one. And part of that whole journey was giving homeowners peace of mind. Because I do think that the town had this knee jerk reaction.
Oh my god, this is Jersey Shore. And the show's bringing more people than we can handle. I'm like, you can handle our back nasty. So you guys are already done that.
I'm not too tall. But it was to get the homeowner peace of mind. Like we're all working professionals. We've done this before.
We know how to treat a home like it's hours because we want to scare you by the back. And we're just, we're going to handle the second thoughts. So yeah, I mean, it was pulled out. We were walking around my talk in a winter time.
And that first house was also on smaller side. But still a little house. And it's challenging because we have a house that's been half of us. We also have producers and a control room that we need to have.
So yeah. And there we go. I was the first one in with cameras that first day. It was like that upside down house.
And so the cameras like walking, cameras walking backwards as I'm like walking in. He's not really a house. I've been there for months. And he just backed right up into a wall.
And I'll say, oh, shit. What would more nerve-wracking shooting your first season or watching as a beard? I think it was pretty easy for me to kind of forget the cameras were there and just be myself. I think watching it back, especially since I kind of put me in through a lot that summer was challenging.
We had to watch every episode together. Sometimes you can relive the same fight or you really have the same fight. We kind of put a lot of trust and faith in our producers on the production and the network side because, you know, technically they kind of have free rein. They have to.
And you know, we had no idea what to expect from an ending standpoint but we were all relieved because it was all right. We have massive amounts of footage and it's just a consolidation of it. It gets condensed down to something that can be told or the first season's kind of so. So I was actually so, so, so like, thankful that I thought it was a really good testament to our summer.
Yeah. You know, I interviewed him before. Just about his job and like what it entailed. And he said that he's had to field distressed calls from Robeleph before.
Have you ever been one of those calls? Oh yeah. That's that for a season. Yeah.
And so, we had to go back to the next one. Um, what was also very challenging for everyone was the fact that unlike a Vanderpomper below the below deck where you still have the workplace as like home base. We on Monday morning scatter. We all go back to lives.
But we saw a group chat and in some situations drama would address itself. And so by the time the weekend came the producers like what happened? Why aren't you mad at calling anymore? Oh, we worked it out.
Well, that doesn't work for television. That's challenging. And on the flip side, you know, tension could build because we'd see each other during the week and we weren't necessarily filming from that. Resulting that we were going through this.
I mean, you know, particularly during the week, you know, when I'm thinking back like what the hell I call Noah. I need to give you some piece of money. And I will say I'll be distressed calls that I get in college like Kyle's are the best. Like they are not.
He doesn't scream at me. He's not crying. He's very reasonable. But first season, there's more calls going to bad goers than I think almost I think we'll see because we were just like, there's a little roller coaster.
It's one of the hardest things that person can go through. I think to be, you know, spending season shooting, you know, with research as always, it'd be open, be vulnerable to yourself and just expose yourself like that. And then sitting and wondering, how is this going to play out on TV? We're shooting hundreds of hours that are getting condensed for three minutes.
Literally like 150, 200 hours of footage getting condensed down to 43 minutes. We're picking up and choosing what the show of that experience. And he's just got to trust that it's happening in a way that is going to be okay for him. Yeah.
I mean, I still have like student loans from business school. So I'm just like, what did I do? At any point that you sort of regretted signing up for this? No.
I think it's been, you know, not only incredible experience, but it's therapeutic. I mean, I really can't explain what it's like until like, even my parents. Like they couldn't understand what it's like until they actually filmed something. They're like, oh, okay.
So it's incredible. I think that's why particularly the younger shows, you know, you really feel like it's coming on because it is such an incredible kind of surreal experience. I think. I also wondered because you guys are friends on summer house and is very organic experience.
What has it been like when certain people aren't asked back? Yeah. I mean, a lot of that kind of is I feel like some of the scientists are really like what's going on with friendships. It's not just like, oh, we're not asking someone so bad because, you know, like they're season.
It's like what's going on with the, you know, the cast dynamic as we are friends. You know, another challenging aspect of our show. And like a lot of shows we hang out, you know, nine months a year. And again, things happen.
And so first episode producers are left with a challenge of like how the hell do we pick up what we left off? Because, you know, a lot went down. So, you know, in some situations it's a little bit of a bar. It's not the best fit for everyone.
But, you know, I think for the most part, people understand. And, you know, you never wind up with a house with the same exact people you're after a year. It's just really how it doesn't happen. We give a share house.
Your friends are like, let's know. There's people who have stuff that can't go out for a weekend. So we try very hard and can cast some produce and stay true in that process. Like when we decide to find, you know, oh, well, you know, Ashley, work is moving to California.
So it's obviously not hard to show anymore. Okay. Who's somebody else that you got the friends with that could fit in this house or friend of a friend? Because that's also how you get people to a summer house share house.
When you might not have enough friends to do it. You might get a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a house. But that's actually the best part. You wind up with a friend of a friend of a house that you've never had before.
And perfect world, you leave the summer with a new friend. But on a flip side, I mean, the producers wanted to get inside. You know, I remember going to a couple of summers and it's like, would you do a house with this person again? All things considered.
And I'd be like, who would you say that? A couple obvious ones. But, you know, we don't ever want to turn into a like survivor. But it has to feel natural.
It's our summer. You know, run a cramp someone in there really doesn't belong. So has this whole process changed? Any of your friendship dynamics that you didn't think it would?
Yeah. I mean, look, you put yourself out there. I'm known as being a little verbose. I wrote a 17-page email.
I think that they're at a single falling out in my entire life with a friend. And so, you know, having to go through that for the first time in like a public eye was, you know, that was pretty interesting. You know what? Anyone that?
Are you kind of calling out to them? No, you're just like God, you know, I really wish this person like we could have seen more of them. I mean, I kind of love most of the people that have done on the show. There are people that don't sort of make a big impact because they don't involve themselves in story very much.
And then, you know, there's just no time to be able to, you know, see somebody like that. You know, everybody from season one was great. I think that they really everybody tried so hard to do everything that we asked for new service. And it's just tough that you can't keep bringing everybody back here after your, you know.
Yeah. Well, I have a million more questions, but we're at a time. But thank you guys so much. This is amazing.
Thank you. That's fun. Fun fact, which I did not know. Kyle has an MBA from Bats and College and a Bats and College degree in political science and architecture from Trinity College.
No wonder I once saw that loose on the weekends. He has been in school for basically his entire life. Seriously. Thank you so much to Noah and Sam and Kyle for stopping by the day.
We just talked about the production of Summer House. And we'll be back with our regular results episode this Thursday. Bye. Bye.
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