These Were The Fakest Parts Of Summer House According To The Cast
The reality show "Summer House" first hit our screens in 2017, and it's been a Bravo staple ever since. The series follows a group of friends as they spend their weekends in an incredible house share in the Hamptons for the summer. Drama quickly ensues as friendships turn sour, parties turn toxic, and romance gets in the way. Of course, the group returns to the beach each year, and viewers have seen the gang repair fractured relationships, watched as couples have gotten engaged and married, and lived vicariously through the "Summer House" cast as they enjoy a lavish season in one of the most enviable hotspots.
However, "Summer House" fans have long wondered how much of the series is real and which storylines might have been manufactured for entertainment. During an interview with Glamour in 2023, cast member Amanda Batula discussed what it's like appearing on the series, saying, "I say I like the filming part and being able to be with your friends and have these memories. It's a lot of fun." She continued, "I could do that forever ... It's the social media and ... the online bullying that makes it really difficult to want to keep doing this." From questionable fights to fake relationships and the financial implications of staying in the Hamptons, join us as we explore the fakest parts of "Summer House," according to the cast.
Luke only asked Hannah to Minnesota after being 'produced'
The fifth season of "Summer House" featured a lot of drama, particularly when it came to Luke Gulbranson and Hannah Berner. While the pair enjoyed a fairly flirty relationship during their time on the Bravo series, it all came crashing down during the second part of the Season 5 reunion, when Gulbranson made a huge claim about the illegitimacy of their onscreen romance. During the episode, Gulbranson told Berner (via Bravo), "I was produced and asked to ask you to go to Minnesota. I should have never asked you that. I should have said no." Andy Cohen, who hosted the reunion, immediately shot down Gulbranson's claims that he'd been coerced to invite Berner to his hometown. Meanwhile, Berner left the set in tears, clearly hurt by the revelation.
At the reunion, Gulbranson went on to say, "Listen, I'm not trying to be the bad guy. I'm literally just clearly sorry about it and I feel bad, and I want to apologize to Hannah." During an interview with Us Weekly, Gulbranson further claimed that he'd never actually dated Berner. "Maybe she thought it was something else ... I was just treating her like a friend like I always had," he told the publication. According to Gulbranson, some of the more intimate aspects of their relationship, such as their trip to his hometown to meet his family, only happened at the behest of "Summer House" producers.
Craig was 'upset' production focused on Paige drama
Paige DeSorbo and "Southern Charm" star Craig Conover have become a staple on "Summer House," with the reality TV couple sharing their blossoming romance with Bravo fans each season. However, Conover wasn't best pleased when he realized that Bravo would showcase some of the less happy moments of his relationship with DeSorbo during Season 5. In an interview on the "Reality Life with Kate Casey" podcast, Conover explained, "When I discovered what direction that they were going in, I was pretty upset." He also shared, "And unfortunately, there's just not enough time in a television slot to show all the happiness and positivity and so I got twisted. I don't know what was said or shown, but I know it wasn't, unfortunately, an accurate story."
"Summer House" Season 7 continued highlighting the more dramatic aspects of Conover and DeSorbo's relationship. In fact, DeSorbo was shown bursting into tears during a discussion about moving from New York to Charleston, where Conover lives, and not wanting to leave all of her friends and family behind (via People). Still, it's somewhat inevitable that a reality TV show won't capture any relationship in its entirety. For the sake of entertainment, it seems as though some of DeSorbo and Conover's happier moments were left out of the edit altogether.
Some of the cast aren't 'real friends', according to Luke Gulbranson
Bravo's "Summer House" reality TV show focuses on a group of friends who spend their summer weekends sharing a house in the Hamptons together every year. However, according to former cast member Luke Gulbranson, some of the show's friendships may not be as genuine as they appear on television. During an interview with Page Six, Gulbranson alleged, "You have some people that are not real friends, that are just there to make TV and to get a paycheck and sit in their bed all day, and they only come out when cameras are up."
During his interview with Page Six, the reality star and actor doubled down on his claim that some "Summer House" friendships aren't real. Discussing the backlash some cast members had faced throughout the show, Gulbranson explained, "That stems from people not being real friends and people creating fake drama." He also suggested that some of the cast members had behaved like they were on the "Real Housewives" franchise rather than "Summer House," which only amplified the alleged fake drama. Whatever the truth, it would appear that Gulbranson isn't a huge fan of some of his cast mates.
Paige claimed Lindsay started a 'fake story' to start a fight
Not all of the "Summer House" cast members have remained cordial throughout the course of the show. In Season 4, Episode 11 of the Bravo hit, Lindsay Hubbard got into an argument with Paige DeSorbo over her friendship with Hannah Berner. During the episode (via HollywoodLife), DeSorbo claimed that Hubbard had purposefully interfered in her friendship with Berner and instigated an argument. "You created an entire fake story last night for me to fight with Hannah," DeSorbo accused Hubbard. "You sat in the kitchen and said 'Hannah thinks you're entitled.'" When Hubbard questioned why people were suddenly attacking her, DeSorbo responded, "Because you created an entire fake story to tell me last night!"
Hubbard subsequently asked that her cast mates didn't start any arguments as they were meant to be celebrating her birthday party. However, this request seemingly didn't go down well, as Amanda Batula retorted, "You start drama all the time!" It would appear as though DeSorbo's friendship with Hubbard started waning a long time ago. In hindsight, accusing Hubbard of creating a fake storyline was probably the nail in the coffin for the pair's connection.
Paige claimed 'everything' Carl and Lindsay 'do is premeditated and planned'
"Summer House" fans eagerly followed Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke's relationship, which saw them get engaged in August 2022, only to part ways in September 2023. While Hubbard and Radke's romance became a massive part of the show as it developed, one cast member was never a fan of the couple, and that was Paige DeSorbo. During the first part of the "Summer House" Season 7 reunion (via Us Weekly), which aired in May 2023 when the pair were still engaged, DeSorbo said of Hubbard and Radke, "I think they're pretty fake sometimes." She continued, "I think everything they do is premeditated and planned. I think they just lie, and they spin everything."
Hubbard responded to DeSorbo's allegation and asked why they'd spend money on moving in together and getting engaged if their relationship were totally fake. "Yeah, that's why I'm confused because neither of you have jobs," DeSorbo replied. "Yeah, it is weird." DeSorbo further alleged that Hubbard and Radke contacted bloggers with inside gossip about the show's cast members, proving that she's really not a fan of the former couple.
Alex Wach was edited out of several Season 6 episodes
"Summer House" introduces new cast members each year, and Alex Wach joined the show for its sixth season. However, fans started to wonder what had happened to Wach, who was suddenly absent from episodes of the show as the season progressed. Wach seemingly addressed his disappearance with two very telling GIFs. Per Us Weekly, he took to his Instagram Stories to share a GIF of Harry Potter using his invisibility cloak, which he followed up with a video clip from "The Terminator" in which Arnold Schwarzenegger's character states, "I'll be back."
Kyle Cooke opened up about Wach's absence from several Season 6 episodes, telling Us Weekly, "It's happened in the past and IMO has nothing to do with production not wanting to pay their episodic fee." He continued, "Again, this is speculation, but it's likely because there was so much going on and production wasn't following them. From a producers perspective it probably seems even weirder to have a cast member there and get no camera time than to edit them out." Sadly, Wach wasn't given much of an opportunity to prove himself onscreen, and in June 2022, Page Six confirmed that he wouldn't be returning for the show's seventh season.
The cast doesn't 'pay rent' on the summer house
Every year, Bravo's "Summer House" films at a gorgeous property in the Hamptons, and the cast members can be seen enjoying the decadent decor of a jaw-dropping mansion with its own swimming pool. While most people would find themselves paying rent on their Hamptons summer house and splitting the cost with a group of friends each year, the cast of the Bravo series apparently doesn't cover the entire amount. During an interview on the "Reality Life with Kate Casey" podcast in March 2017, former cast mate Stephen McGee was asked about the rent situation, to which he replied (via Reality Tea), "I think you asked this to Lindsay [Hubbard] as well and she adamantly said yes. We do not pay rent on the house."
Doubling down on his claim, McGee told Casey, "I do not do a [house] share that would have cost me $20,000 every summer." He also noted that the cast and crew required a bigger house to store filming equipment and provide space for everyone working on the series. "We weren't paying extra for those spaces to give them room to produce the show," McGee revealed. Of course, the entire summer isn't free for the cast, but when hiring a huge and glamorous house, it sounds like Bravo takes care of the lion's share of the rent.
Cristina wasn't 'fired,' despite what Lindsay said on camera
Cristina Gibson was a regular cast member during the first season of "Summer House," as well as Lindsay Hubbard's roommate in New York City. However, Gibson didn't return for any future seasons of the show, and her friendship with Hubbard steadily devolved onscreen. Gibson reportedly became angry with Hubbard after her roommate started spreading rumors that she'd been fired from her job. According to former cast mate Stephen McGee, during his interview on "Reality Life with Kate Casey" (via Reality Tea), Hubbard likely did this on purpose to rile up Gibson. "Whether or not you were let go, you quit, or were fired is not a big deal, but [Lindsay] knew it was a big deal to Cristina," he explained.
McGee also accused Hubbard of going for the jugular when it came to Gibson and purposefully exploiting her roommate's vulnerabilities. "I think she saw the opportunities to put her down on camera and she took them," McGee claimed. Gibson didn't return for the second season of "Summer House," and has since left reality TV behind her. But as for her onscreen feud with Hubbard regarding her employment, it would seem that Gibson wasn't fired from her job and instead pursued other opportunities.
Lauren Wirkus knew 'Carl [was] talking to other girls'
During the first two seasons of "Summer House," Carl Radke and Lauren Wirkus were engaged in a flirtation, which saw the pair going on dates, hooking up, getting into arguments, and ultimately deciding to be friends. Some of the onscreen drama developed because Radke wouldn't exclusively commit to Wirkus, who was seen getting upset when it was revealed that Radke had taken another woman as his date to a wedding. However, in his interview on "Reality Life with Kate Casey" (via Reality Tea), former cast mate Stephen McGee claimed it was no secret that Radke was seeing other women.
"Lauren knew about this girl before the wedding photo happened," McGee claimed to Reality Tea. "She just didn't know that she was going to the wedding with him. That's what was so perplexing to me." He continued, "Lauren is like all about Carl, but she knows Carl is talking to other girls and seeing other girls." If true, at least some of the onscreen drama caused by Radke's flirtations and hook-ups with women seems to have been fabricated for the cameras.
Radke addressed his tumultuous romance with Wirkus while speaking to Bravo's The Daily Dish in March 2019. "How I handled myself in dating her and not dating her, I definitely regret a little bit of how I behaved," he admitted. "I chalk that up to a lot of just immaturity on my end." Basically, they just weren't meant to be.
Less people slept together than production made us think
Bravo's "Summer House" follows the cast as they throw pool parties, attend bars in the Hamptons, and often drink way too much. The series has also featured a plethora of romances and hook-ups over the years, with multiple cast members finding love or lust onscreen and sometimes ending up in bed together. However, according to former cast mate Stephen McGee, fewer people hooked up during the show's first two seasons than viewers were led to believe. While speaking to Betches in April 2017, McGee explained, "No one except the real couples f***ed the entire summer." He continued, "People would sleep in the same bed and it would look like, oooh we're turning the lights out, we're throwing a blanket over the camera, but they say 'hooked up' all the time."
According to McGee, the misuse of the phrase "hooked up" is to blame, with some cast members using it too casually. He explained to Betches, "Like, everyone kept saying 'well we hooked up' and I'd be like 'you made out' and they're like 'that's what I said!'" Basically, if your favorite cast members seemingly got together on camera, their tryst may not have been as serious as you first thought.