It’s hard to predict reality, no matter how many reality TV psychics try. When an affair was exposed between two Housewives in the early hours of The Real Housewives of Miami reunion, production moved fast to get the story without derailing the entire event in the process, resulting in one of the most memorable reunions in modern Housewives history.
It was a revelation that sent shockwaves to the entire cast—even Andy Cohen—as Julia Lemigova disclosed that she and Adriana de Moura had hooked up on the cast trip to the Hamptons in Season 4 once the cameras went down. Suddenly, years of sapphic subtext sparked to life, as did an entire cast and crew of consummate professionals.
And it was a reveal that came before the reunion to Miami executive producers Matt Anderson and Nate Green, as Lemigova wrestled with letting the audience in on the duo’s secret. It wasn’t so much a question of if it would come up, but a question of when.
“We didn’t put any gotcha questions in the script or anything like that. It was just going to be like, ‘If you feel like the moment is right, do it,’” Anderson told The Daily Beast’s Obsessed.
“You can actually see in the footage, Andy’s asking Adriana a question. Julia’s like, ‘I want to say something,’ and then he continues with the follow up. Of course, Nate and I are looking at each other like, oh my gosh, she wants to say it.”
Say it, she did. In a moment, the reunion flipped on its head, leading the franchise into new terrain—one they explored backstage. The show made the choice to spend half of Part 2 on the reveal.
“We were like, ‘Can this really sustain 20 minutes of an hour here? Do we need to break it up with other topics, and kind of futz with the timeline a little bit, just to make it more entertaining,” Anderson shared.
Cohen replied, “This is gonna hold. Let’s just play it all as it happened.”
“It was a really great call on his part.”
Much of that fallout happened backstage, a bold move for a franchise that rarely moves off the reunion couches for more than a minute or two at a time.
“When we formatted out how we wanted to cut the show, they were like, ‘Wow, that’s a lot not on the stage. Can we do this?’ And we had a debate about it,” Anderson added. “That’s something I think we’re both really proud of in terms of sort of pushing the format forward and doing something different.”
“We were actually the first production company to pitch the network that we need to shoot backstage,” Green revealed.
Miami first traversed the backstage back in Season 3—when Lisa Hochstein dueled with former Housewife Joanna Krupa’s makeup artist—well before the 2021 reboot ever introduced Lemigova into the picture. In the modern age, the show has dedicated significant screentime to backstage duels and discussions, from de Moura’s feud with Alexia Nepola in Season 5 to the chaos that emerged from Lemigova’s reveal.
“There was always one camera kind of hanging around to catch Ramona [Singer] walking off Season 1 or Season 2, but our question was always, ‘Well, what happens after that?’” Anderson added. “It’s not fair to the audience. I want to know where she’s going, what she’s doing, what she’s saying before she comes back.”
The fallout of Part 1 was intense. Fans flooded the internet with a plethora of theories, while some argued Lemigova’s actions breached an ethical boundary, outing de Moura for TV entertainment. That’s a theory that flew out the window within minutes of Part 2, as de Moura essentially owned the allegations, while lobbing out some of her own.
“I think people forget what a free spirit Adriana is really in her life. She’s even been on Watch What Happens Live prior saying, ‘Oh, I’m into this girl right now,’” Anderson added. “So I don’t think that was the piece that really tripped Adriana up at all.”
“We’re actually the only independently owned, gay owned production company that produces Housewives,” Green replied. “And we really fought hard to have some LGBTQ representation in the franchise.”
“Never did we ever think that it would also turn into another first, which is what we’re talking about right now,” he added.
A bloodbath ensued on stage as de Moura and Lemigova let out all the skeletons in their closet, erasing hopes the former best friends would find peace. Within minutes of Part 2 airing, all anyone could talk about was the “Haitian mortician” Lemigova apparently bought a coffee maker.
“It’s nice to get a feeling that it sort of penetrated pop culture. I was just on TikTok the other day, and I saw the Bravo ‘Haitian mortician’ sound, and I was just going through all the lip syncs of it, and it was pretty incredible,” Anderson said.
Backstage, de Moura got into battle gear—of the costume variety. Donning a Snow White outfit in reference to the nickname Lemigova allegedly gave her when the duo first met, de Moura was ready to make waves with yet another reunion prop. That’s a look that didn’t appear on the reunion stage for one big reason: copyright.
“Everyone’s backstage, and I’m knocking on Adriana’s door, [saying] ‘You’ve got to get back out.’ She won’t answer the door, and I open the door. And I’m not kidding you. She’s in full Snow White regalia,” Anderson shared.
“I was so entertained by it. I actually saw her first, then I went back to the control room and I said, ‘Matt, I’m sorry, you’re going to have to go in her dressing room just to see,’ because I didn’t have the heart to tell her [she’d have to change],” Green added, admitting he thought about blurring her out entirely just to let the moment air.
So, de Moura returned to the stage in the same sequin dress and gave Lemigova a fake heart anyway, proving the queen of reunions always has an ace up her sleeve—or at least, a prop.
“Adriana does reunions well. You know, it’s not always everyone’s format. But you have to admit, she does a reunion quite well,” Anderson said.
Whether de Moura, Lemigova, or neither return for Season 8 of Miami remains to be seen, and both producers were tight-lipped when asked about future plans for the franchise, although the two had a “spirited conversation” the night before this interview about the topic, Green said.
“They just have real history. Unfortunately, they really do,” Green said. “I actually really enjoyed their friendship. Especially when [Lemigova] first came on the show, I liked what she brought out in Adriana. And unfortunately, they’re just not in that place right now.”
“As producers, obviously, it’s our responsibility to always think about the next season and where we’re going,” Anderson added. “But also, Nate and I could sit and talk about reality all day.”
Regardless of where the show heads next, they hope it will sustain the hype leveraged by the salacious reunion, as Miami continues to prove itself to be Bravo’s best kept secret.
“I’m optimistic,” Green said. “Miami really is a melting pot. Like any Housewives show, the relationships are constantly evolving and changing. But on this show, when the shit hits the fan for somebody personally, the women really do rally behind each other.”
“It’s those moments that I think the viewers also really grab onto and appreciate [from] this iteration, on top of all the other camp and comedy and madness and yelling at each other.”
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