Two Ts In A Pod with Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra JudgeAlex Baskin, the executive producer of RHOBH, RHOC, Vanderpump Rules, Botched and more, joins the Two Ts to discuss all the behind the scenes of the housewives franchise! (The guy in charge!)
Then, Teddi and Alex dig into why Teddi was fired!
Plus, Alex shares a unique perspective on Scandoval!
Two Teas and a Pod which Teddy Mellencamp and camera Judge.
Hi, guys, welcome to another episode of Two Teas and a Pause. Is myself and Sambra Judge, and we have our very own Alex Baskin here. He submitted a very serious photograph, very Zoolander.
It's very Zoolander. It's sex appeal. And I like the tan too.
He's very tanned. He's normally pasty white in person.
A touch of a smirk because he's up to no good. His bio reads.
Alex Baskin, CEO of the newly launched thirty two Flavors Entertainment, is the executive producer of long running hit shows including the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, The Real Housewives of Orange County, Vander Rules, and Botch, as well as forthcoming series four, among others Netflix, Ulu and Paramount Plutz, as well as feature films. As the president of Evolution Media, he oversaw more than four dozen series during his tenure. Along with his business partner.
He sold the company to MGM in twenty seventeen.
I would like to see the Twatts in there as one of your shows that you're producing.
The new twat show.
I am. I'm very excited you guys make guest appearances. I did, we don't.
Okay, So thirty two flavors, can you just set the record straight? Did your family did your family own thirty one Flavors? Well, Alex Baskin.
Alex Baskin, My god, this is the hot seat. I to tell you too that this is ground zero of my misery. You guys call me more problems in this show. Its popularity has.
Just answer the question.
So okay, thanks Baskin.
Robbins.
Oh my god, my dad's uncle founded.
Uncle so pretty much related as Heather Gay is to me rose to me, Yeah.
How much?
But you guys are scandalizing this. I mean you're you know.
That's what we do for a living.
I know.
I mean the company is just like what you do to us, just like you do to us.
Oh treat me like.
No, you realize I didn't know this until I asked Kyle. I go, is this actually Alex's email? And she goes, yes, Teddy bask and like you didn't get that, and I was.
Like, no, we didn't. Yes, it's a player on the company that I played no role in. That's exactly flavors. I can confirm that, but we added one more flavor. Yeah, yes, that's exactly. Yeah, and I am enough.
You are enough? Are you Twizzler flavor?
Is that or love those Twizzlers? Cannot get it us?
But you also have a podcast coming out. Yeah, my gosh, it's gonna be a big competition. Are you in TV and film?
What's your Well, there's yeah, more to come on that, but podcast launches November fourteenth, and it's behind the scenes of shows because so many other people are telling the story and there's so much bullshit out there that the idea was, let's actually start telling the story ourselves. And so my first guests include none other than Tamra Judge Kyle is one of my guests. Shooting a bunch more right now, and so I'm excited.
Are you enjoying it?
I'm having fun with it. I'm having more fun than I thought because it's a very hard time listening to myself and watching myself. You can take a look at the cuts it first, we've had.
This conversation before. You do not like to see yourself? I do in front of the camera like you've always been behind the camera. This is this the first time you've been in front of the camera.
Well, I've made appearances and things like retrospectives about the shows and stuff like that, but I've never, you know, never in sort of this capacity. I've never really been interested in doing it and be self conscious and who wants to look at and listen to Well.
You're going to be a superstar.
Well I don't know about that.
Are you gonna listen to your own episodes and essentially produce them yourself?
I've had to so I was not going to, and I was adamant about that, and I let everyone involved know that. And then when notes were flying back and forth about the episodes, it's like, well, shit, I got to weigh in, and I can't unless I know what I'm talking about. Yeah.
See, we cannot listen to ourselves.
We like to stick our heads in the sand and pretend that whatever we said or I've always been like that.
Well, see, I don't have a luxury if not listening to you guys, because once again, these people complain paints that I get. That's exactly it is. You guys are nothing but trouble of giving Amy Sugarman shit about it?
Is it cast members on or is it across the board, different roads.
Across the board. It's cast, it's production, it's the network. Like you guys have it all covered.
Well, I have.
I had to squash the beef quite a few times, and I think it airs tonight at Bravo Khan, I said, Andy, why me every time he goes because you're the one with the podcast.
Yeah, and let me tell you, guys do not have the podcast because you are meek and you don't have opinions.
We Tamar always has opinions, but her biggest opinion is that I cause more shit than her.
And I want to know is that actually accurate?
I mean that is like, you know, six of one half of another. I don't know what to say. Guys are both assholes.
Teddy causes more problems online.
That's probably true. I would say Tamar's more dangerous in the moment. But then, yeah, you know you are absolutely committed to.
What if I think something is accurate?
She will not let it go.
I will not let it go.
But if somebody will actually show me a touch of kindness or be a regular functioning human being with me, I can let it go. Like what Tamar can have issues? Yes, and we can let it go.
Right, Alex, what are your thoughts on Teddy's squash the beef with Vicky?
Oh god, I just said we weren't talking about this anymore. I even use the tailor armstrong enough.
Well, I was surprised and not surprised with her child, and so I just I mean, you came out firing.
Well, she had already.
I heard her say, she's disgusting, she's pathetic.
I was told, do not bring up January sixth. The first thing that she does is go, let's talk about January sixth.
I told you that was going to happen. She brought it up on the carpet, the red carpet, and her and I got into an argument on the red carpet. So I go be prepared. She's going to bring that up.
Here's the thing.
I would have been happy to squash that beef if she would have just come out and for once.
And would you don't believe that, Alex?
Oh please, you're saying you would have been the bigger person if she had been the bigger person, I mean you might like you just cancered her.
I did. I did have to cancer in that moment.
You are currently the executive producer of Orange County, Beverly Hills and Pump Rules.
But how did you get your start in all of this?
I interned a MTV out of high school and I fell in love with the business. And then I had a detour in law school and loved law school and met some great people, but knew that's not what I wanted to do because I just was bored by it. And I looked at successful partners at the firms that I worked for and thought not for me. And I had met Doug Ross from Evolution years before and he had said, look, you know, I give me a call if you ever want a job, and so I did, remembered me, brought me on and then we started doing a sleepy little show called The Real Housewives of Orange County and that took off.
And I have a quick question. Now, your parents thrilled that you went to law school and you decided I'm going to go.
Into ralett your life, Smiley, It is well like I will say that when I considered dropping out of law school, my parents made me promise them that I would finish it, and so then I held up my.
End of the bargain, and I think they were thinking, that's not what we had in mind. Yeah, you didn't think had oft in that direction.
But how often is being a lawyer act help in what you're doing? Especially with this group?
Unfortunately, it is the training that I would recommend that everyone gets more than film school, that's for sure. Yeah.
I get free label advice from them all the time. Yes, Alex, what do I do now?
Can I say? This is?
This definition pretty much is like be quiet and we're He's like, yes.
We're not listening time.
Yeah, exactly.
Do you watch any other franchises other than the ones that you produce?
Occasionally I will dip it and dip out of other franchises. I watch a lot of other kinds of programming, But it's not as much fun for me to watch the shows because I feel like, I, you know, know how they're made, and so I can see the notes that went into them, and so it's not a relaxing experience for me.
Now, can you explain your role now? Because originally you were owner and you have sold in the past five years, how are things different? Are you still involved in evolution?
An involved in evolution, but I'm involved in all the shows, and so my role really hasn't changed. The difference is instead of running that company, I run my own and then all my new series run through my company, and these series are co productions, and so I still do everything that I did before, which is you know, creative oversight and and you know, oversight over the entire production. So that's everything from production management to the deals to the creative all that stuff.
Do you potentially see thirty two Flavors taking over Orange County or I.
Mean, I'm you know, is it a goal? Please with no? I mean, I don't really think in those terms. They just sort of, you know, think about continuing to be a part of the shows. And I agreed to do that for the foreseeable future, and so you know, that's sort of that. And then a lot of my time has spent on the new projects as well.
And then how much are you still involved in like the the casting or the editing or any of those types of things.
A lot, I mean in the way that that I always have been. But I will say too because I don't want to appear as though I'm taking a bunch of credit because I work with some of the most skilled people you know that that I could possibly want to be on a team with and so day to day A lot of that is taken by people who have made the shows for a long time. But I'm as involved as I was before I made the move, before I ventured out onto my own.
Yeah. Now, the social media fans are very just hard on us, right. They tell you who they hate, they tell you who they love. Does that have any reflection and what decisions are made? Does Bravo or production look at that and go, oh, well, you know what they really hate?
Terror?
Should we get rid of her?
Well, we're aware of it, but I don't think it's one to one with what we do. And Bravo kentuckts in their own reasons. God is.
Sure I might get another I might get another season.
If you treat me well.
So are you saying I didn't treat you well?
No, you know you're a little bit rude. I remember you didn't have a diet coke for me at one point. So today, okay, sorry, my time I might be off. Sorry, so I'll apologize at the reunion. But no, I mean I you know. We're aware of the fact too that the audience responds strongly sometimes to people who are very involved in story and so we sort of filter all of that out, but it's hard to tune it out completely, you know, so, and you can't get to the point where the audience just does not want to watch someone anymore, or someone is completely on the outs from the group. But we don't make decisions by you know, the extreme nature of social media at any given point.
Yeah. Andy made a comment years ago he said, when the fans love to hate you versus hate to hate you, yes, is all the difference.
Yeah. I think that's right. And I think that you kind of know when you cross that line, so that.
I teeter on that line.
It's a tyrope, do you And I mean I already know the answer I think to this, But do.
You pick favorites?
No, I mean you can't. You really try not to. And I always say this that I think that you have to treat everyone equally and fairly, but you treat everyone differently in the sense that everyone's a different person, right, And so my conversations with different casts are different. But we never go into a season knowing who's gonna have a good season, who's gonna have a bad season, And we never try to help someone out or you know, ding someone else and that isn't the case.
But do you ever feel like there is a way that you could potentially show more of a potential person, but you don't because it's it doesn't behoove what image you.
Want to portray for that person.
No, I mean we don't have a narrative in advance.
Well, like people are saying, okay, Crystal, this cut out this year, or this was cut out this year of things that we saw on social media, is any of that planned?
Or we just were talking about it on the pod where like, okay, we know she had another party.
Well, and I said, they can't play everything right, so we don't.
And it caught by the way, it costs a lot of money to not use something right. So when you cut something out, it's because you had to make other decisions.
Right.
Well, I would say, she had a party in Vegas, do we need to show another.
Party in LA and that that's right. I mean, I mean that's what we're thinking. And so our thinking is, you know, we wanted to get to Vegas quickly. Yeah, So it's it's all of those things. But you never, you know, I shouldn't say never. You very rarely shoot something with an intention of not using it, and it isn't like you don't if something interesting happens, you know you're gonna use it right right, and then you know and then you just make a bunch of decisions. Into Tammer's point, like you have to cut stuff out.
And sometimes you'll end up using just from my guess, sometimes you guys end up using stuff that's not as interesting.
But it tells the story of what's coming next.
It puts the pieces together. That's right. It's connective tissue.
It's a puzzle.
Yeah.
So, so was there a wife you weren't sure of, like when you first saw a video or anything that actually ended up being a breakout hit or an amazing housewife that really caught you off guard?
Well, yeah, I mean sometimes you know, Look, I think that the casting tapes Hammer and I talked about this, you know a little bit a couple of weeks ago. I think that the casting tapes are one thing, and then I think when you put someone in play, I think it's a different thing altogether. And then I also think that people grow into themselves and I think that you know, they can get better with the experience, Like I think Emily Simpson is so found herself.
I was just gonna say that, Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes it takes people a few years to get their feet on the ground and like Okay, I'm doing this, and then they're very protective of themselves. And then there's other ding dongs like me that just just go for it.
Yah yah.
Is there anyone in your opinion that did get away too soon that actually could have?
Oh? I think that there's plenty of people that I think didn't have enough of a shot. I think that, you know, for example, Carlton and Beverly Hills, I think came into the tough season and I think and may or may not have been a fit for the show, but I think she did, you know, everything that she could have done to work, and I think that was a tough season. I was trying to think of who else.
Oh, the hundredth housewife.
The Haggy there you go.
Yeah, yeah, there's uh yeah, But I off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone, But I do think that look, I think in time, I think it is something that you grow into.
Yeah, can you can you explain to listeners what goes through the process of finding a wife and how is it difficult.
Really hard. I mean we we will. Your first thing we do is we reach out to all of the lives and ask them, you know, who they might have for us, and they, like.
I did five years ago with Jen Pedronte and a list of other girls from my gym.
Yeah, you're welcome.
Ye, thank you so much.
That worked out really well.
Yeah yeah, yeah, who else do you have?
So it's Teddy Mellencamp, tam Is pitching.
I have been always to teas and an orange. But so that those are the first conversations that we have, and then we look. We try to look in and around the places that people hang out and you know, stock social media and sort of find out who is in different friend groups. And it's it's that kind of thing. And the amazing thing to me is all these years later that we're still finding new people, and we will find good friends that someone did not put in front of us. I was like, you know, so then we'll interview someone in Cassie, we'll find out they'll be a good friend of one of the housewives who has never offered off this person and then they'll say, oh, I hadn't even thought about her, like you didn't want to on the show.
Yeah, or certain people are going through different things in their life that they may not necessarily want to show, so at one.
Point they're going to say hard, no, I would never do that.
That happens a lot.
No, what else happens a lot?
People said, Oh, I was offered to be the next house while I hear that all the time all of the time.
That drives me insane. It's completely untrue. We've offered very few people who have not taken it the job. So they may have had outreached from a casting person who may have said, is it something you would consider, and then you know, nine.
Times right, and they think they got the job.
That's exact. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Yeah.
How many people have you offered a position and they turned it down as a full time housewife? Has it ever happened?
Ninety percent of the time may be higher if they take the job.
Yeah, that's what I figured.
And is this the first time this season on Beverly Hills that you guys have aired that a housewife sent an email that they have quit the show.
No, I mean I've had I could make a coffee table book out of people quitting the show. So that time we've eririted, but it's not the first time that it's happened.
But is it the first time that then the person hasn't actually followed through with it?
Uh? Yeah, I mean I think at that point. I think that I talked to her months later, months after she sent that, and I think that, you know, look, I think that it was kind of time for.
Her impulsive, Right, yeah, it's kind of impulsive.
But I think that it was and then and but I also think that it I think at core, I think that I think the show had been really hard for her, and I think that, you know, she had worked her ass off on it, and I think given a lot to it. And I do think that she was fundamentally done. I think there was a conversation about her continuing, but I don't think that that's what she wanted to do at that point in her life. And I think it made sense there. And I, you know, will miss someone like Lisa Rena because she was so good on the show and made such so good, was on the show for a long time, right and and so and I remember she's someone that was actually better than I thought that she might be because I thought that she was like a talk show guest, and I thought that, you know, she would be kind of controlled in.
An actress show.
That's exactly because we didn't used to bring actresses onto the show, and it was something we deliberately didn't do on Beverly Hills because Kyle and kimire actresses, but they weren't currently currently you know, in that that wasn't sort of how they identified, you know, at that point in time. And you know, but Rena in the best way, was fantastic on the show.
Can we ask the question about breaking the fourth wall?
Because I feel like it has significantly We see it more and more now across the board at which I love watching it anytime it happens.
But the first time that I had ever felt it was that season that I was on with Denise.
Yeah, and she brophsi but she probably did that, I don't know, thirty times throughout the season anytime.
Well, so my policy i'm breaking the fourth wall is pretty simple. We shouldn't do it unless it enhances the show, right, and so you kind of do not want to be self conscious about it. And it's super annoying when someone is just looking into the camera or acting as though they're on their own show and everyone else is on Housewives. But I think if you need to break the fourth wall to tell the story than you do, or if there's a fun moment, then you do. So I think as long as you don't set out to do it, and as long as it helps you sort of you know, sharpen the story and it makes it more real than you do it.
Oh like the pretty Woman moment with Jureid, Like you barely broke the fourth wall, but it made it funnier and it yeah, yeah, but it didn't seem like you guys were out to totally trap anybody in a situation exactly. Or Shannon throughout her season on Orange County. I feel like we saw more production than we saw Shannon.
Yeah. Well, you know they could have been in the main titles with her.
Well, she did a lot of things, you know, off camera, we'll call it off camera, but in front of production. So I think that they had every opportunity to show it. I'm like, have you not Laura anything shown worse? Yes, they could, but I think.
I think that the story right, I mean, and so why we showed it?
Yeah? Have you ever had to demote a housewife to a friend?
Yeah, how'd that go. It's really hard because it's you know, becomes a pride factor. There's always a concern that the housewife will be treated differently in the group, right, And I'm so it's tough to coming.
Did you get paused or did you get.
To But for the record, I did not get offered a friend roll. I got offered No. It was three episodes to close me out, well close around just.
Three episodes done done by the way I found out through the Daily Mail.
So f off tamp.
Well, he ruined my vacation.
So well, you should have had better cells, And we.
Talked about that. I don't want to talk too much about it because we actually talk about on your podcast. How much behind the scenes are you going to expose on your new show?
Well, I mean, we want to open up what really happens so that there's an standing of it because there's so much speculation, conspiracy theories run rampant. You got a lot of assholes running their mouths, and so the idea is to talk about as much of it as we can. Obviously, there's an amount of you know, decorum that I need to maintain, and so there's things I would love to say that sometimes I have to think the better of right. But the idea is, you know, to give real insight into how the shows are actually made and what happens, because there's a lot things like hirings and firings and what happened in kind of some of the most buzzed about moments. So that's the idea of it's and it really is also a conversation between the people who are on the shows and the people who make the shows, and I think seeing the relationships between them is important.
How quickly after cham got the boot, did you guys realize you needed her back?
Well, we knew that there would be a big hole without her, right, I mean, she was such an important part of the show. So it felt like at the time that it was one of those necessary things that would hurt us. And it did. And I had a really hard time with it. And you know, my hope had been, well, we could you know, kind of talk, we could talk through it and figure it out and you would stay a part of the show. But we talk about this, you know, on my podcast as well. You really hated doing the show at that point.
I was, I was checked out and I was going through a lot at the time too. So yeah, it was like and I say, it's like it's a blessing. It was a blessing that happened. You know, the kid's dad had cancer. I was trying to help out with that, and my kids really needed me even more at that moment, like all the time, and so it was best that I didn't.
And I still felt like we had you because we did a lot of talking about you.
Oh yeah, and every god damn episode for.
The single time, like Tamra would rail on about the show teams. Like the other thing is you would complain about what we actually aired and then what you heard that we aired. Yeah, because I didn't watch, I would tell you about.
I know, Eddie, Alex, Yes, okay, so yeah, I mean I try to like play. I really have to wait to like be in a real bad way to then send that text to Alex. Like I'm like, I'm like, see me again the ship they did that again. But then I'm like, nope, I'm holding it in.
I've always had a really close relationship with Alex, Like I know that I can always pick up the phone and call him, I can text him at any time. I know that he got frustrated with me a few times because I was being very vocal and I had a conversation with Andy and he's like, well, Tam Or, you're out there talking shit. I go, Andy, you're airing shit about me? Do you think in any world that I'm going to keep my mouth shut? And he's like, hmm, no, taken.
Yeah, sometimes the best housewives are the worst ex housewives.
Yeah, well that makes sense for sure.
And I always told Alex, I'm like, if you ever fire me, I'm just going I'm gone. You'll never hear from me again. Yeah, how that worked out?
Well?
Yeah, right and off in that sense.
Then it took one phone call from me, Hey, Tam want to make spect for money?
And yeah, to Jason a pot about the show my nightmare. In a Parahol universe, we should have worked it out and none of us would be here.
Yeah.
We just watched season one of the OC and we're currently watching season one of Beverly Hills. An eternity ego, I I mean one, even just the production value and what like it, or the fact that at the reunion they're just they're pretty.
Much wearing what I'm wearing, like even more casual.
Oh, s let's talk about OC I mean it was even more so. Yeah, you watch it and it looks like it was from thirty years ago.
It does. Yeah, it's time rainy.
The clothes they're wearing, there's zero glam, there's I mean, but I'm surprised it went forward.
But I'm saying, oh, the show is so tough, you know, watching you know, Housewives is so toxic. I'm like, if you go back and watch the beginning, there was way more difficult things being discussed on Orange County and Beverly.
Hills than now.
I mean now, I mean whether Sutton goes on you know, two or three days versus what happened with Russell or what happened.
I think that where I have nostalgia for the old days is that a lot of it was about what was going on in everybody's lives. And I think the hard thing now and the thing that we try to steer away from but you know, still kind of ends up popping up, is that a lot of it is about the dynamics between there and there's a lot of gotcha stuff, right, So there's a lot of knowing something about someone and then that becomes an issue where it isn't to me in its pure form. It's about everyone's individual spheres and their lives and then how the group comes together. Right, And I think it's changed. I think it's much more of a contact export now than it was, especially the early days of OC, right. And I mean in the first season of OC, the women barely got together.
It was a big deal, you know, No, they got together with other friends, were cast members. I feel like there was no arguing, no fighting until season three.
That's weird, that's what happened.
I don't know, and I don't even know what gave me the balls to go on to a show, Like I've never had any experience in TV. I was just, you know, pretty much a stay at home mom that did real estate and part time with a very controlling husband. For me, I mean, I've always had a mouth, but to just get in there and like, did you go to bass Lake and the arguing and all that, I'm like, that's very ballsy back then.
Yeah. No, you took to it right away.
You took to it.
Do you think that there's ever any because we were just talking about before we even started, how Tamra will let things go. Do you think there's any former OC person, she will never be able to let it go away.
Well, obviously, I think the most deep seated issues are Tamar and Gretchens, So I think that would be the one that would be the toughest. Otherwise, I don't I think you could probably at some point bury the hatchet with everyone else.
Yeah, I mean I have. I buried the hatchet with Alexis Bilino at Pravo Con and we talked the Gretchens. That's too deep. Like, you know, once you start calling reaching out to my children, you're dead to me.
I bet you that you guys could at some point the line. But maybe next season.
You want to start that rumor now.
When she has a center orange and you're on the side where yeah.
I want this to be clickbait.
Well it's going to be clickbait now, Thank you so much.
I love your podcast.
Now me not your Alex Alex so he always knows what to say to make me happy.
Well, he's probably not going to make me happy right now, but I have to act it.
It's on the rundown. Okay, why did I get fired?
Oh shit?
Oh god, that's tough. I think that, I mean. And also, by the way, like your like eyes are.
Yeah, we're also we're also friends who going to lunch at for this, so.
Yeah, I was like, I'm thinking about my lunch.
Just be honest, Alex. We just want your honest and just want you to.
We want just be authentic, authentic self and to answer in a way that you would in real life.
I think that, uh, oh god, how would I what would say? I think a couple of things. I think that you well, no, I think I think that in yours, I think there was strong audience reaction to you. So I do think that was part of it, not gonna deny that. And I also think that you were self conscious.
She was, she's very in her head.
That's right where I felt. That was obviously that was here where you're pregnant whatever. And I will also say this, the production always how you're back. I was a big fan of yours because you would say things that other people were thinking and wouldn't say, And so I think there was that. But I think that I think it felt like then on that show you weren't comfortable in your own skin. I think that was the issue.
And I think and not too I think if we would have actually dived into.
Why I'm not comfortable in my own skin and those bigger issues. That's those are the things.
That's like breaking the eighth wall though, No, but that's what I want to know.
That not about me, I'm not.
That's a that's a whole that's a whole nother show.
But I think when we start to see the breakdown of marriages or relationships or friendships, I don't want to just read it. I want to feel it.
Like that's why I think we are seeing a different side of Erica, Like because finally all that shit happens, we got to see a different side of her.
Well. I think that's a really good point. And I think because that goes to what we were saying before about also investing in the groups on the show, because I think it's life changing to do the show, and I think people do get better at it. I think they grow into it. Other than I mean, sure, there's a million counterpoints of people who are open and honest at first and then buy into all the audience bullshit and don't give a real version.
Right.
Yeah, I mean, so that happens, right, because there's the scientific principle of that you change the thing you're studying by studying it. Yeah, that can happen, but I think otherwise, especially once you have a real group, I think then you know, you want to take advantage of that, the fact that people grow close together and and you know, so it's say you have those real dynamics and you want to examine someone's life and you have more of a chance to do that over a period of time.
And how often do you think housewives that you currently work with really pander to Twitter or what the audience is say?
I would love to say not at all, but I think that, you know, it's the constant challenge of the show is to eliminate all of that noise. And the early seasons of Orange County did not have any of that. There wasn't that. We had MySpace, Yeah that's.
Right, Yeah, my Space and Facebook that was it.
And the Bravo blogs you remember those. Oh those were horrible, horrible time but with badness, you know that Brava had to turn off and so so yeah, I mean that's the biggest thing that we try to get people to do is not to take a uh, you know, the temperature on what's going on on social media and then calibrate what they do based on that, because that doesn't read well. And also the audience can be really fickle, right, I mean, so they can say one thing to you and then once you buy into it, then they resent you for doing what you thought they wanted you to do.
Well, what We're fickle from week to week watching all the different shows. Like one week I'll be like, oh, I can't stand her, and then the next week I'm.
Like, oh, we love her. She's our new favorite housewife to watch.
So, well, you're only as good as this week's episode.
Well if my dad, it was a script writer, said to me reality TV is sports for women, And I think that's true. You have rooting.
Interests and you get I didn't know that about your dad.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, he wrote for a bunch of shows.
So you come from a family in the ice cream and writers, ice cream writers.
That's right? A yes, a Jamokah Allman. Script.
Oh are you a fan of bringing back past housewives? I am recycling, recycling the ladies.
Well, I am to a point. I think that it can be lazy, and so I also think that I think shows have to progress, and I think sometimes they can with past customers, and I think been taking you for example, where you still had all those relationships within the group and beyond the fact that you know, you're iconic to that franchise. So that made sense to me. But I think sometimes we can reach back where we should be looking forward.
Yeah, that makes sense.
And then what about once somebody does something to production or to whatever and kind of crosses that line, how do you then get to that place of going, Okay, I want we're going to forgive that, or we will bring this person back. Because there has been housewives.
Throughout that really have you think this pause.
Is actually forever, Like there are certain and then all of a sudden they pop back in.
Well, there are very few red lines, and whenever we, you know, create them, then we don't always hold them. So it's like, if this person does this, if this person treated production a certain way, you can move on. You can get over it. And it's just like you know, Tam, I'm sure your feelings about never coming back right at first, I'm never going to do it, and and then you get over it right and life goes on.
It's like childbirth. So if after a while you forget about it and.
You decide to have another case, you decide to do it again.
This, Yeah, so, but I but I think that's but I think it's really circumstantial. I think then there are other things that aren't forgivable, and there are things you know, we're really just ultimately not on the same team, or it's someone that we can't trust. Then you you know you can't bring them back. You shouldn't bring them back.
Right, Yeah, if they always had fake storylines and things like that, like they borrowed a Rolls Royce and said it was a birthday.
Present, I feel like she might be alluding to someone.
I have no idea what she's talking about.
Let's switch gears to vander Pump rules.
Oh, let's do it.
Yes, where were you at the moment when you found out about Sandabal scandal? All I should say.
I had a launch the whole like timeline of events is that Arianna had texted our talent producer the whole thing, so basically screenshots about what happened. So basically so it because so you don't get to see the video, never have never seen that, do not even know anything about that. And it's great to be able to say that. Yeah, but it's but so she texted him on it was on a Thursday because she had just you know, sort of found Santaval's phone or it had fallen out of his pocket. On that Wednesday night late I found if there's a talent producer was trying to confirm a shoe at their house. She's like, well, let me tell you. Here's where we are. Here's what happened. And then talent producer called the show runner, and showrunner called me because.
Why did they say it was like done filming.
Because we were already done with production.
Okay, so it was just like a pickup or something.
Well, yeah, we were. We were completely so, I mean we had wrapped and we were we had three weeks until the reunion. I mean we were. We were, And that's where we picked up cameras right away and we found out because our big point to the network was, look, this isn't just something we should talk about at the reunion. This is really gonna, you know, completely shatter all these relationships, right, so we need to pick up the cameras.
Did you have any idea when you were kind of watching back this season prior like now watching in hindsight, they were like, oh my gosh, how did we miss this?
Well, I mean, we knew there were a million rumors about them over time, and even on that season. The reason that nobody believed us but that we didn't do any we didn't know or we didn't but we didn't have to do any re editing. And and you know, like seven episodes you know, were locked at that point. Was this had come up as a rumor, right, and so there was a question are they in an open relationship or you know, what is going on between the two of those? So that was all there. I just didn't believe it, right, Yeah.
I mean in your world, you probably hear rumors all the time. Right now, there were there was a rumors of rumors that Band of Properules was getting ready to be canceled.
That isn't true. So I have so to clarify the record on that. We had a really tough season nine of that because we were really impacted by two things. I mean, one is there was a cash shake up, right, and so there were a bunch of mainstays that were no longer part of that group. And then COVID really hurt that show because it was a show about people who were up and out all the time. Yeah, no, I was and it really was, and I was a tough season, that was a labor but once we had to pick up for season ten and we got into it, that was a very wrong season regardless, and people, you know, thought that was sort of a renaissance season and the ratings were good. Now Scandabal, you know, completely elevated that into a different stratosphere. But but the show was, you know, in pretty good health.
And then what do you think that because clearly there's been I don't know sixteen podcasts that Bethany did with Raquel Rachel about this, and you know, she she kind of contradicts herself back in just a few times, just a few thousand times. It's like, I would never want to do it, but it's because I wasn't paid with this person was paid.
Like, do you think there would have been like do.
You think she should have come back? I do? I do. I think that I think in large part of her wanted to. We had numerous conversations about it. I think she was really conflicted. I think she had a really good offer in front of her, and I think that that might have been a good place for her to be heard. And I think that, you know, look, I think we always treated her with respect and we would have continued to do so, and we wanted what was best for her.
And one of the producers there was we just saw it said like we always liked working with her.
She was super nice.
I mean, who knows it's on like I forget somebody named Shanna Gena Ghanna.
Yeah, yeah, I know. I mean, I mean we had a good relationship with her. I mean, I so, you know, until all of us happened, and it wasn't that that relationship was even particularly strained, but there were a lot of people that were speaking on her behalf right, and I think she's someone who can be influenced, and I think that that's what happened. And I thought, you know, look, if I think about the best of the interview, exactly what you would think that I do. I think that there is I'm all in favor of Rachel speaking out. I think she's a speaker piece. I think that there were all, you know, grave and gross and accuracies there, and it.
Was very self serving to one person and not the other.
I and I, you know, so I had a hard time with that, and I actually I couldn't watch the whole thing, but I mean, I, you know, certainly know all about it.
Yeah, yeah, I listened to it was very frustrating. I have to believe that you guys talk about her, not you, but the show, the cast talks about her a lot.
Well season we're I mean we certainly, I would say, it isn't a focal point in the sense that we really try to move on from the people who aren't there, and there's plenty for us to cover, but we have to acknowledge, you know, that she's not there. And also that group was reading the same things that everyone else was about her, you know, in the media, and whether she would come back in all of that stuff. But I think the biggest thing is I just think that it's not so much what everyone else says about her, and I think they actually show a lot of compassion toward her, because I think their feelings about her at the reunion were one thing, and they just needed time, you know, And I think that they would have welcomed her back in the way that they would have not everyone, but I think that, you know, they would have tried to move forward. And I think that she did herself a disserface and that's her decision to make But from my point of view, I think it would have served it well to come back.
And what about the extent, like the extent of all the hate coming towards Sandoval, like ye at this point still, I mean.
I was I was going to say, like he was booed at Bravo con Laala stuck up from and Andy Cohen also said like how long are you going to do this?
Guys?
Man? Like well, And I think one of the things that I don't understand is there seems to be this notion and there was a question directed to us at the producer's panel about him benefiting from this, like sort of don't you think that Rachel was the victim from this? And don't you think that he's cashed out and has benefited and everyone taking advantage of Like how so how do you think like, you know, I think that he did something that he shouldn't have done, you know, so clearly everyone can agree on that. But I also think that he has had a come up, and you know that is certainly commensurate with that, right, And I think is is I think like we all know the story at this point, so I just don't know what more there is to say and you.
And also I know this is not a Bravo show, but I watched Special Forces. I've been watching that and you can see a broken man coming in like wanting to get his ass kicks, like you can. You can feel aside to him where I'm like, Okay, listen.
He said he's a real person, And I think that's that's the hardest thing I think in making these shows is and you know, certainly it's something we wrestle with his producers where I think the audience invests because these are real people. But then I almost think because we were saying before using you know, sorting the sporting analogy, then I think you can dehumanize people a little bit. And I think that's really tough. And I think that no matter how strong you are, no matter how much you tell yourself that it isn't real and these people don't know you, it's very hard not to take that in. And I think if you're talk standible and everywhere you go you're that guy, I think that's really hard on anyone.
Especially when why am I blanking on his name is now getting to be this best guy human ever?
Raquel's X what oh James.
James James, I mean it's confusing, confusing.
But that goes to the fickleness too, right.
Right, Yeah, like we all forget so that I know that's right, we all forget.
Well, we see the hate towards Tom kind of change or turn a corner.
Next season, the group shifts and so there are you know, some unlikely friendships emerge, and there's real conversations about all of this, and it's very raw and so I think you said, I mean, I'm utterly fascinated by it. We do break the fourth wall a bunch to acknowledge the situation that we're in, and we have to acknowledge that the real world is and and kind of you know, standom is a part and large of the fact that Tom and Arianna live in the same house together, but they have very different lives, and so we have to acknowledge the real world, you know, to be able to fully delve into that.
Yeah. I just think the amount of hate he's getting is just so nasty. It is He's a human being. People like he did something wrong, and I feel like he's handling.
It well, he's tougher than I am, He strong I am, that's for sure.
He for sure is, and then kind of because we know we're running out of time, what do we want to ask him?
What should be?
Guys?
What should be our final thing that we dig into out now?
And bravos, Hot Mike, are you going to be interviewing ex housewives, current housewives, producers of the Housewives. Who are you going to have as guests?
So all of those so current cast, former cast, producers, network executives, anyone who contributes to making the shows. And then also celebrity super fans, you know, anyone who has some sort of insight into this world, this bubble that we're in. I also want to hear from the audience what they want us to talk about, right, and so what they want demystified, happy to talk about all of it. And really, like I said, I mean, it got to the point where as much as we have tried not to, is production be the story? Clearly we are hard to some extent the story, and people want to know how the shows are really made. And so you felt like it was time to open up the kimono so to speak. Why does that sound disgusting?
It sounds it sounds sounds dirty, It sounds like a lot, But I think Also, something that is interesting is within every group of women on every franchise, there's multiple producers like in the mix, and there are ones that different women connect with. Yes, so then they have these trust systems with certain people. And I think even if you guys, digging into that and talking to different producers within each show is so cool too, because some you can see the relationship between the person that you're talking to sometimes and you're like, Okay, she hates him, she's actually mad at him, not the woman that she's actually talking to.
Like we've had moments like that.
Do you have a dream gust Andy Cohen or.
Well, yeah, I mean it definitely. You know he'll do it and rhymes.
With Eddie Mellencamp smelling camp rhymes with schmeddy shmelling camp.
Yeah, he's been dying. It's like been sliding into my dms. I'm like, enough already, I told you I'm not doing it. I told you too, busy problem, Yeah did busy.
I think the fun thing for me will be to give voice to people who have a lot to say that you otherwise might not hear from. So I think it's the you know, showrunners and post EPs and those kinds of people who I think can get into the nitty gritty of the process in a way that people want to know. That will, you know, hopefully debunk conspiracy theories on Reddit.
Yeah, oh yeah, well there's no better person to do it than you, Alex. You've been here since the very beginning.
And you have made some incredible television and we love watching and recapping it, even though we cause you so many problems. Please make sure you guys find Bravos Hot Mic with Alex Baskin, you know, from the ice cream.
When he's not scooping ice cream, give you.
He's got a huge trust funds. You know, I always say saying for his own pod, and always.
Say if my parents had worked harder, I wouldn't have to do that.
Right. Do we have a launch date?
November fourteenth?
November fourteenth, that's right?
Yeah, all right, we can't wait because I can't wait. First guess and all the juice.
We're gonna have to recap that. Put that on our list of thanks to recap.
Wait to recap that.
We'll put you in those headlines.
Alex, I can't wait for it. You've already been in the headliness a good amount, so this is good.
We get some We're like, can you believe Alex Baskin said this.
There's gonna be a great tit for tat. Then I'm going to go back and I'm going to have to respond to what you guys have said, and it's just going to be this endless loop.
I mean to restapping her own interviews.
Yeah, I can change that narrative.
Well, thank you guys. We appreciate everybody taking the time.
Keep tuning in, and we will be back next week to recap all the other shows that y'all will be airing.
Don't forget about Beverly Hills Season one flashback.
We have a special guest joining us, but I haven't been able to check my phone to see if she said yes, good bye bye,
