West Wilson and Amanda Batula was definitely in the hot seat during “Cottage” reunion, but the pressure didn’t push them to reveal much. In fact, it was the other way around, as the two TV personalities sat on the couch, stone-faced and silent. During a new interview, Noah Samton, the current SVP of production for Bravo and Peacock unscripted, opened up about their performance at the reunion, calling the “frustrating episode about the network release” and revealing why the network release was a 16th bonus.
“Summer House: The Aftermath” aired June 16 and featured in-depth, sit-down conversations between Wilson and Kyle Cooke, Ciara Miller and Meija Moreno and Lindsay Hubbard and Batula. Their conversations centered on Wilson and Batulas surprise romantic relationship and its influence on the rest of the cast, specifically Miller, who dated Wilson in 2023.
The episode came as a surprise to viewers, especially because it aired after the conclusion of the three-part “Summer House” reunion. talking with BlackSamton opened up about how the bonus episode came about, revealing that it was cast-driven.
“Ciara reached out to the production company and said she wanted to film a scene with Meija. I said, ‘I don’t really see where this fits into the show, but let’s explore it,'” Samton revealed. Hubbard then approached the production company and revealed that she would also be filming with Batula, and Cooke said he had hoped to speak with Wilson.
“So it was really driven by the cast, and obviously we were very happy to accommodate these, which could have been private conversations. I think West initially reached out to Kyle to have a private conversation, but as Kyle says in the special, the whole story played out on camera. He wanted this to be on camera, too,” Samton said.
Why ‘Summer House’ needed a bonus episode and why Batula and Wilson’s reunion performance bothered Samton
The “Aftermath” episode is not something that usually happens; However, Samton explained that the key players in the “Summer House” dating scandal didn’t give viewers much to work with during the reunion.
“When you watch the reunion, as incredible as it is and as great television as it is, you walk away feeling a little bit off about the way West and Amanda are handling themselves,” he said. “They didn’t explain themselves satisfactorily. And then there was a completely separate conversation with Meija that no one knew anything about. For me, those were the three stories that needed to be fleshed out further.”
In the bonus episode, “Summer House” cast members discuss Wilson and Batula’s relationship in more detail, something Samton said was important for audiences to see. “I think we didn’t get that in the reunion, and that was very frustrating for us. So I feel very happy that we were able to make a lot of progress in that ‘Aftermath’ episode,” he shared.
The ‘Summer House’ Exec hinted that he was confused by Wilson’s lack of energy during the reunion
While filming the reunion, Samton said he and the other producers were bothered by Batula and Wilson’s lack of energy, adding that they both had unique stories to tell.
“I thought there was a story for Amanda to tell, as someone who is divorced herself. I understand that someone comes out of a 10-year toxic relationship and behaves badly, acts out and makes crazy decisions. There’s a lot more about what she could have said at the reunion that would have been really interesting to the viewers and would have helped them explain to her that she couldn’t see what she was saying.
As for Wilson, the Bravo executive said he’s still baffled by the Missouri native’s refusal to fully engage with his co-stars. “West, I still don’t quite understand. So I don’t know what I would have wanted to see out of him. But just something would have been nice,” he said.
Why Miller is the future of the long-running reality show
According to an earlier report from The explosionWilson was fired from “Summer House” and will not appear in the upcoming season. The rest of the cast is still up in the air, but according to Samton, there will always be room for Miller.
“I told Ciara a few months ago that I think she’s the future of ‘Summer House.’ She has a voice that we love on (the show), has connections with the rest of the group, with Mia and KJ, and she’s close to Kyle. She feels like she’s become the center of the show. And that’s a story I want to keep telling,” he said.
Before his firing, Hubbard unleash on Wilson in a social media post calling the “Show Me Something” podcast host “trash” for allegedly trying to get her off “Summer House.” She also trashed the sports reporter for trying to steer viewers away from the bonus episode. “You should move immediately!” she wrote.
Stream the entire season of “Summer House” on Peacock.
