RHOSLC & Below Deck Down Under Crossover: Behind the Scenes & Casting Secrets

Who knew Salt Lake City and down Under would make for the perfect television crossover?

For the first time in Real Housewives history, the women of Salt Lake City merged with the crew of Below Deck Down Under for a highly anticipated three-episode crossover event. to intersect the casts, Bravo’s cameras filmed both shows simultaneously occurring for two separate episodes that will play out on both The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City and Below Deck Down Under.

housewives have graced the decks of the yachting franchise in the past, but never has a full cast chartered their own superyacht – and had their trip documented for both franchises. It’s a moment that was years in the making for Bravo, one Noah Samton says couldn’t have hold off any longer.

“This is something we discussed at Bravo for many years,” the svp of unscripted production for NBCUniversal (who was on deck for filming) tells The Hollywood Reporter of the Real Housewives–Below Deck crossover. “It felt like, okay, we can’t wait anymore. We got to make this happen.”

And make it happen Bravo did, but not without a myriad of bumps in the road.One of the greatest obstacles they ran into was the capacity of people allowed on the boat. as two separate shows were being filmed simultaneously occurring, Samton says members of each production crew had to take turns being on deck.

“There are very specific

“Like an Airplane Without a Runway”: ‘Housewives’ Crew Stuck as lisa Barlow Had Meltdown on Exit Route

Viewers of The Real Housewives franchise are getting a glimpse behind the curtain thanks to a new series offering perspectives from the yacht crew who work alongside the Housewives during their lavish vacations.According to Nathan Samton, a producer on the series, the goal was to present “the same events, but from a wholly different vantage point… so it felt to viewers like they’re seeing the same story, but from two different sides.”

In the coming months,audiences will be treated to “a lot of fun little juicy tidbits” about working with the ladies of Salt Lake City – including whether or not they’re generous tippers. Samton even “found the Down Under episodes even more exciting” due to the added drama of the yachties “having to deal with the complete mayhem of the housewives. [It] was just endlessly fascinating.”

One especially memorable behind-the-scenes moment occurred during a heated argument between Lisa Barlow and Heather Gay at the end of Salt Lake City’s seventh episode. After the fight, Barlow stormed off and sought solace on the superyacht’s swim platform.

However, this happened just as the crew was preparing to end their shift for the night. And how do the camera crew, producers, and showrunners leave the yacht? Through that very same swim platform where Barlow was having her meltdown.

“We’re getting ready to get off [for the night,] and Lisa and Heather have a big fight. Lisa gets very upset.she’s completely distraught, and she goes on the floating dock, which is our exit to to get off the boat. And we cannot leave,” Samton recalls. “There’s this shuttle boat, and it’s circling the yacht like an airplane without a runway, trying to find a place to land for us to get off the boat.”

‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ & ‘Below Deck’ Crossover Boosts Ratings, but Another Merge Isn’t Imminent

The recent crossover event between Bravo’s The real Housewives of Salt Lake City (RHOSLC) and Below Deck Down Under proved to be a ratings success, but network executives aren’t rushing to plan another inter-franchise collaboration. While the idea of simultaneous airings was considered,scheduling complexities prevented it,and Bravo intends to wait before revisiting the concept.

Crossover Episode Drives season-High Ratings for RHOSLC

The seventh episode of RHOSLC season six, the first installment of the three-part crossover with Below Deck Down Under, garnered 2.4 million viewers across platforms over a seven-day period. https://www.thewrap.com/real-housewives-salt-lake-city-below-deck-crossover-ratings/ This marks the most-watched episode of the Salt Lake city-based Real Housewives series as the season five reunion.

Bravo executives, including Vice President of Development and Programming Lisa Vanderpump, consider the crossover a “huge success.” Despite exploring options for airing both shows concurrently, scheduling constraints ultimately prevented a simultaneous launch. “Regrettably, programming schedules are not the easiest thing to move around,” explained Samton.

Future Crossovers: A Wait-and-See Approach

Despite the positive reception, bravo isn’t immediately planning another real Housewives and Below Deck crossover. According to Samton, the network may wait “a season or two” before revisiting the idea. A key factor in this decision is assessing the performance of Below Deck Down Under season four, which is set to premiere in early 2026. https://www.bravotv.com/news/below-deck-down-under-season-4-premiere-date

Samton emphasized the desire to maintain the crossover as a “special” event,rather than overusing the format. “It’s something special. It’s not something you want to do too often,” he stated.

Where to Watch

new episodes of The Real Housewives of Salt lake City season six air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo and are available the next day on Peacock.https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-salt-lake-city Below Deck Down under season four will premiere on Bravo in early 2026. https://www.bravotv.com/below-deck-down-under