Why did 'RHOSL' come to Milwaukee?

When "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" showrunner Lori Gordon pitched a girls trip to Milwaukee, she expected it to be a "really hard sell," according to Noah Samton, SVP of Current Production, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.

"She says, 'Milwaukee,'" Samton said. "And, I was like, 'I'm in.'"

And, surprisingly, Samton's answer had nothing to do with the other Bravo show that had just filmed here, "Top Chef."

Samton has actually been coming to Milwaukee for years and already "knew what the city had to offer." It's where he visits his longtime buddy, Bucks president Peter Feigin. The two met playing pick-up basketball in their 20s in New York City.

But, why did the showrunner pitch the Cream City for the show's first all-cast trip in the first place?

Cast member Whitney Rose wanted to host a party this season at This Is It!, which is co-owned by world-renowned drag superstar Trixie Mattel, Samton explained. It's the oldest LGBTQ+ bar in Wisconsin and one of the oldest in the country.

Last season, the "RHOSLC" went to the Trixie Motel in Palm Springs. On that episode, Rose said she's known Mattel for "quite some time," and that they they've hung out and collabed.

"It just felt like a nice continuation of that storyline, and I knew that there were a lot of amazing, interesting things to do in Milwaukee," Samton said. "So, it was exciting for us."

Samton only had one condition for the visit: A Bucks game would be a must. And, luckily, he knew a guy.

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at what went into planning the getaway — both set-in-Milwaukee episodes aired this month — the bond Samton and Feigin built through basketball and if the "RHOSLC" would ever return to the Brew City:

Bucks president Peter Feigin and TV exec Noah Samton became friends through pickup basketball

Feigin and Samton met through the Saturday Morning Run, a pickup basketball league held in the gymnasium of Manhattan's Trevor Day School. It began around three decades ago with Feigin; his twin brother, Dan; and some of their pals when Dan got access to the gym as a teacher and coach at Trevor Day. He's now Head of School there.

According to a feature The New York Times did on the group in 2020, about 100 players have participated over the years, with a core of about 15 to 20. Their ages have spanned decades and they've been bankers, retail sales workers, lawyers, nonprofit directors, photographers, writers and students.

Since meeting, Feigin and Samton have gone through life together, seeing each other advance in their careers, get married and have children. Their kids have become friends, too, and their sons have joined them on the court. In Feigin's words, that's "pretty incredible."

"This is a long, deep history we have," Samton said.

And, for the past decade, a group of about 25 from The Run, including Samton, have traveled to Milwaukee for Feigin's birthday to catch a Bucks game and explore the city.

Why TV exec Noah Samton liked the idea of Milwaukee for 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City'

"It's such a different sensibility, I think, than Salt Lake," Samton said. "And, we love to put our 'Housewives' in different situations."

Viewers usually see the cast around SLC, an environment they're comfortable in, and with their friends. Plucking them "away from that world" eliminates some of the pressures of their social circles and gives them the chance to have "a lot of fun," Samton said.

Plus, he said, it's always nice to have a cast trip early on in a season. The episodes set in Milwaukee were No. 3 and 4.

"When they spend 24 hours together, things happen and stories start to happen," Samton said. "It's a nice way to inject some life into the beginning of a season — not that you need it with 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City." They bring it every minute no matter what."

What went into planning 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' Milwaukee trip

The Milwaukee trip was proposed right after the show started filming Season 5 at the beginning of the year, according to Samton.

"The way that we film our shows, a lot of it is reacting to what is happening and storylines, and who's doing what with who," he said. "So, there's not a ton of really long-term planning. Everything kind of just goes and you got to go with it."

Right off the bat, show execs knew they'd want to include This Is It!, the whole purpose of the trip, and a Bucks game.

When Samton first hit up Feigin about bringing the Salt Lake "Housewives" to a game, the Bucks president happened to be on the phone with his 23-year-old daughter, Alexandra.

"She was like, 'Oh my, oh my, oh my god,'" Feigin said, adding that his daughter is the biggest "RHOSLC" fan.

With her being "such a cheerleader" for it to happen, Feigin said, "it almost had to."

"It was just amazing for us — we've been friends for so long — to be able to work together on something. Just really fun," Samton said.

Several other ideas and activities in Milwaukee were pitched by production. What the women were actually interested in doing and where the show was able to get permission to film factored into what made the itinerary, according to Samton.

Production did a couple of scouting trips to Milwaukee ahead of the official cast trip in February. On production's first visit, Feigin said, one of the things they did was tour the arena with Dustin Godsey, chief marketing officer of the Bucks and Fiserv Forum. Part of the second planning trip included figuring out the timing and sequencing of what could be done at the arena.

Some crew members flew into Milwaukee a day or two ahead of the cast's arrival "to do what they can," Samton said. But, also needing to capture the ladies' trip preparations and departure, some crew remained in SLC.

"It's different every time on every trip," Samton said. "You just try to make it work within the parameters you have."

When it came to the actual trip, the cast was in town for a total of about three days, two of which were spent filming, according to Samton. Filming days can last between 12 and 20 hours, he said. He estimated the ones in Milwaukee to be at least 16.

In addition to the Bucks game and This Is It!, the cast went on excursions to Potawatomi Casino Hotel, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, the Historic Miller Caves, the Harley-Davidson Museum and Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Expo Center, and stayed at the Kinn Guesthouse downtown.

The order in which viewers saw the events play out is how they actually unfolded, Samton noted.

"Everything leads to something else," he said. "It's really hard to mess with the chronology of how it unfolds. You want to stick with what really happened. The show is really real. It really is these women's experiences. Whatever happens to them, we cover."

 

The Milwaukee Bucks and 'Real Housewives' crossover

On Episode 3 — here's a recap in case you missed it — viewers saw Godsey meet the ladies outside Fiserv Forum. They chanted "Giannis!" on the way in. Feigin greeted the group and took them front-row courtside for shootaround ahead of the game.

"For us, that's a casual way to introduce some of the players and really get on the court," Feigin said, adding that filming from that spot during the live game wouldn't have worked.

What was "incredible" to Feigin was how the cast and crew of a couple dozen people "seamlessly" filmed that night without compromising the Bucks' own hours-long production.

When Feigin watched the episode, he said, it gave him a "sense of pride" and brought a smile to his face.

"I think the cast was overwhelmingly complimentary," he said. "I think Milwaukee looked great, the arena looked great, the team looked communal and fun and welcoming."

While it was really fun on a personal level, Feigin said, it was also "a great commercial" for Milwaukee, the Bucks and Fiserv Forum.

Busy with filming for "House of Villains," Samton was unable to make it to Milwaukee, which he said broke his heart.

"I missed two of my favorite things in the world: The Milwaukee Bucks and 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' combined," Samton said.

But, it sounds like he could have another chance down the line ...

Would 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' ever return to Milwaukee?

"I would love to bring the "Housewives of Salt Lake City' back again," Samton said. Probably not right away next season, he noted, but hopefully in a couple.

When asked if there's anything he thinks the cast needs to do next time around, Samton deferred to his friend. Feigin's pitch? A concert.

The cast was "really celebrated" in Milwaukee, Samton said, and they could feel the city's excitement for them being there. He's heard "nothing but good things about it."

"There are some 'Housewives' casts that maybe wouldn't have embraced it the same way, but I knew this cast was going to love it," Samton said.