Most fans of the genre "reality tv" realize that the majority of what happens is controlled and may be scripted. I learned on this shoot that sometimes it's more "on the fly" than you'd think. When I agreed to appear in an episode 3 of The Real Housewives of Vancouver, Season 2, titled "Catwalks & Catfights".
The original idea was that Ioulia Reynolds was to host a fun, girls tanning party, with Amanda Hansen, in her penthouse in Coal Harbour in preparation for a bathing suit fashion show that they were both participating in. They knew that all I use is St. Tropez and that they would look amazing on the runway. Unfortunatley, the afternoon I arrived on set, The "story" had to change. While we were getting ready, Ioulia mentioned that she had a photoshoot in a few hours. I knew that this was a problem since she was going to need time for the tanner to develop and to have a shower. I filled the production team in on the issues and... re-write! With that change, the story must change and now Amanda was now the only one tanning for the fashion show.
Now, it just wouldn't be Real Housewives if they were all lovey and supportive of each other all the time. This show thrives off of the drama that is created between the ladies. Not surprisingly, there were critical comments about her tan to create a new storyline, like "She kinda looks like a-barbie doll, dipped in orange juice *kiss*" from Ioulia. My favorite was the edited interaction of Ioulia saying "You are... uh... really, really, really... ah orange", back-to-back with Amanda saying "Really? Well, you're going to be a pasty-white, Russian girl". I think the true test is seeing how fabulous Amanda looked in her bikini at the fashion show. She had a beautiful glow that accentuated her fit figure and a confidence you could see.
Watch the episode and decide for yourself. #idontdoorange
The Real Housewives of Vancouver
Video shoot / TV
Summer 2011
Spray tanning by:Cindy Leyland
RHOV S02E03 - Catwalks & Catfights
Huffington Post - RHOV Season 2, Episode 3 Recap